Skeleton for truck bed and convertible top

ABSTRACT

A rack for a truck, SUV or vehicle is disclosed herein which allows the user to lift a load above a roof of the vehicle. The load can be secured to the roof via the rack. Rotating rails are attached to a stationary rails. The stationary rails are mounted to the roof of the vehicle. A basket may be traversably slideable from the rotating rails to the stationary rails. The rotating rails may be lifted up after loading a basket to also lift the basket and the load up and allow the basket to slide onto the stationary rails. Once the basket and load are on the stationary rails, the basket is locked into place with a lock so that the load remains in place while the user is driving.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/908,266, filed 2020-06-22, which is a continuation-in-partapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/583,102, filed2019-09-25, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/040,416, filed 2018-07-19, which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/916,976, filed on 2018-03-09,which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/336,702, filed 2016-10-27, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,956,857, theentire contents of which are all incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The various embodiments and aspects described herein relate to anaccessory.

Sales of trucks have grown in the United States and abroad. These trucksare not only for industrial use but also for personal use. Individualslike trucks because they are versatile in that they can carry a load inthe truck bed and also be configured to provide a protective coveringover the truck bed. However, there are certain deficiencies in truck bedaccessories.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improvement in use of truckbed accessories.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An accessory frame for a truck bed of the truck is disclosed herein. Theaccessory frame can be configured to provide for enclosure and alsoreconfigured so that the driver can utilize the full length, width, andheight of the truck bed. For example, the accessory frame whenconfigured to be open, a motorcycle can be loaded onto the truck bedeven if the motorcycle is taller than the accessory frame. If the driverwants to form an enclosure over the truck bed, a foldable top can bedeployed over the frame and also side panels can be attached to theframe to form the enclosure. Other accessories are also removablyattachable to the frame including but not limited to a rack, floodlights and other accessories.

More particularly, a truck bed frame with a top traversable between afirst opened configuration and a second closed configuration isdisclosed. The truck bed frame may comprise the following components. Aforward driver side post and a forward passenger side post disposed atforward corners of the truck bed, the forward driver and passenger sideposts extending vertically upward with distal ends terminating at leastabout a height of the cab. A first set of rearward driver side post anda rearward passenger side post disposed at rearward corners of the truckbed. The first set of the rearward driver and passenger side posts mayextend vertically upwards. A first set of driver and passenger sidelongitudinal extension members may extend between the forward andrearward driver and passenger side posts. A first top part of the topmay be extendable between and may be removably attachable to the firstset of driver and passenger side longitudinal extension members so thatthe first top part is traversed to the first opened configuration whenthe first top part is removed from the first set of driver and passengerside longitudinal extension members, and the top is traversed to thesecond closed configuration when the first top part is attached to thefirst set of driver and passenger side longitudinal extension members.

The first top part may further comprise a first rear cross member thatextends between and is removably attachable to the upper portions of therearward driver and passenger side posts of the first set. The firstrear cross member may be removed from the upper portions of the firstset of rearward driver and passenger side posts when the first top partis traversed to the first opened configuration. The first rear crossmember may be attached to the upper portions of the first set ofrearward driver and passenger side posts when the first top part istraversed to the second closed configuration.

The first top part may further comprise a first rear covering attachableto the first rear cross member and the first set of rearward driver andpassenger side posts for providing a rain water tight seal with thefirst set of rearward driver and passenger side posts and the first rearcross member.

The frame may further comprise a front cross member that extends betweenand is attached to the upper portions of the forward driver andpassenger side posts.

The frame may further comprise a front covering attachable to the frontcross member and the forward driver and passenger side posts forproviding a rain water tight seal with the forward driver and passengerside posts and the front cross member.

The frame may further comprise first driver and passenger side coveringsattachable to the first set of driver and passenger side longitudinalextension members and the forward driver and passenger side posts andthe first set of the rearward driver and passenger side posts forproviding a rain water tight seal with the first set of driver andpassenger side longitudinal extension members and the forward driver andpassenger side posts and the first set of rearward driver and passengerside posts.

The first top part may be collapsible.

The frame may further comprise a second set of rearward driver side postand a rearward passenger side post which are shorter than the first setof the rearward driver side post and rearward passenger side post; and asecond set of driver and passenger side longitudinal extension membersthat extend between and is attachable to the forward driver andpassenger side posts and the second set of rearward driver and passengerside posts.

The frame may further comprise a second top part extendable between andis removably attachable to the second set of driver and passenger sidelongitudinal extension members so that the second top part is traversedto the first opened configuration when the second top part is removedfrom the second set of driver and passenger side longitudinal extensionmembers, and the second top part is traversed to the second closedconfiguration when the second top part is attached to the second set ofdriver and passenger side longitudinal extension members.

The second top part may further comprise a second rear cross member thatextends between and is removably attachable to the upper portions of therearward driver and passenger side posts of the second set. The secondrear cross member may be removed from the upper portions of the secondset of rearward driver and passenger side posts when the second top partis traversed to the first opened configuration, and the second rearcross member may be attached to the upper portions of the second set ofrearward driver and passenger side posts when the second top part istraversed to the second closed configuration.

The frame may further comprise second driver and passenger sidecoverings attachable to the second set of driver and passenger sidelongitudinal extension members and the forward driver and passenger sideposts and the second set of the rearward driver and passenger side postsfor providing a rain water tight seal with the second set of driver andpassenger side longitudinal extension members and the forward driver andpassenger side posts and the second set of rearward driver and passengerside posts.

The second top part may further comprise a second rear coveringattachable to the second rear cross member and the second set ofrearward driver and passenger side posts for providing a rain watertight seal with the second set of rearward driver and passenger sideposts and the second rear cross member.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a truck bed cover fora truck bed. The truck bed cover may include a pair of side postsdisposable adjacent respective forward corners of the truck bed so as toextend vertically upward from the truck bed and terminate at arespective top end at least about a height of the cab. A first pair oflongitudinal extension members may extend from respective ones of thepair of side posts. A second pair of longitudinal extension members mayextend from respective ones of the pair of side posts in spaced relationto the first pair of longitudinal extension members. A first pair ofprimary connectors may be connected to respective ones of the first pairof longitudinal extension members. A second pair of primary connectorsmay be connected to respective ones of the second pair of longitudinalextension members. The truck bed cover may additionally include a tophaving a top panel and a pair of secondary connectors coupled to the toppanel. The top may be transitional between a first deployed position,and a second deployed position. In the first deployed position, the pairof secondary connectors may be coupled to respective ones of the firstpair of primary connectors, and in the second deployed position, thepair of secondary connectors may be coupled to respective ones of thesecond pair of primary connectors.

The first pair of primary connectors may be identical to the second pairof primary connectors.

The first pair of longitudinal extension members may extend fromrespective ones of the pair of side posts adjacent the top ends thereof.Each of the pair of side posts may include a bottom end opposite the topend, and the second pair of longitudinal extension member extend fromrespective ones of the pair of side posts adjacent the bottom endthereof. The first pair of longitudinal extension members may beparallel to the second pair of longitudinal extension members.

Each of the pair of secondary connectors may include a portion pivotablerelative to the top panel.

The pair of secondary connectors may be selectively engageable with thefirst pair of primary connectors and the second pair of primaryconnectors via snap-fit engagement.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a truck bed cover fora truck bed. The truck bed cover may comprise a pair of side postsdisposable adjacent respective forward corners of the truck bed so as toextend vertically upward from the truck bed and terminate at arespective top end at least about a height of the cab. A pair oflongitudinal extension members may extend from respective ones of thepair of side posts. A first pair of primary connectors may be connectedto respective ones of the pair of longitudinal extension members, and asecond pair of primary connectors may be positionable at respectiveportions of the truck bed. The truck bed cover may additionally includea top having a top panel and a pair of secondary connectors coupled tothe top panel. The top may be transitional between a first deployedposition, and a second deployed position. In the first deployedposition, the pair of secondary connectors may be coupled to respectiveones of the first pair of primary connectors, and in the second deployedposition, the pair of secondary connectors may be coupled to respectiveones of the second pair of primary connectors.

According to yet another embodiment, there is provided a cover for atruck bed comprising a pair of truck bed walls. The cover may comprise apair of support frames engageable with the truck bed in opposed relationto each other. Each support frame may include an upper longitudinalmember and a lower longitudinal member spaced from the upperlongitudinal member. A pair of upper connectors may be coupled torespective ones of the pair of support frames at the upper longitudinalmember thereof. A pair of lower connectors may be coupled to respectiveones of the pair of support frames at the lower longitudinal memberthereof. The cover may additionally include a top having a top panel anda pair of panel connectors coupled to the top panel. The top may betransitional between a first deployed position, and a second deployedposition. In the first deployed position, the pair of panel connectorsmay be coupled to respective ones of the pair of upper connectors, andin the second deployed position, the pair of panel connectors may becoupled to respective ones of the pair of lower connectors.

According to another embodiment, a truck bed cover for a truck bedcomprises an external frame connectable to the truck bed. The externalframe includes a pair of forward side posts disposable adjacentrespective forward corners of the truck bed so as to extend verticallyupward from the truck bed and terminate at a respective top end at leastabout a height of the cab. A pair of rearward side posts are disposableadjacent respective rearward corners of the truck bed so as to extendvertically upward from the truck bed and terminate at a respective topend at least about a height of the cab. The external frame furtherincludes a pair of longitudinal extension members, with eachlongitudinal extension member extending between a respective one of thepair of forward side posts and a respective one of the pair of rearwardside posts. The truck bed cover additionally comprises a top engageablewith the external frame so as to be positioned over the truck bed to atleast partially define an enclosure over the truck bed. The top and theexternal frame are sized and structured such that when the top isengaged with the external frame, the external frame is outside of theenclosure.

The top may include a top panel and a pair of side panels foldablerelative to the top panel. The top may further include a rear panelfoldable relative to the top panel and extendable between the pair ofside panels. The rear panel may include a transparent section and anon-transparent section at least partially surrounding the transparentsection. The transparent section may be at least partially detachablefrom the non-transparent section. The top panel may be detachable fromone of the side panels.

The top may be transitional between a deployed configuration and astowed configuration. The top may fold onto itself as the toptransitions from the deployed configuration toward the stowedconfiguration.

The top may include at least two panels joined at a seam, with a portionof the external frame extending parallel to the seam when the top isengaged with the external frame.

The external frame may include at least one transverse member extendingbetween the pair of longitudinal extension members. The external framemay include at least three transverse members in spaced relation to eachother.

According to another embodiment, a truck bed cover for a truck bedcomprises an external frame connectable to the truck bed and having afirst end portion positionable adjacent a first end of the truck bed anda second end positionable adjacent a second end of the truck bed. A topmay be engageable with the external frame so as to be positioned overthe truck bed to at least partially define an enclosure over the truckbed. The top and the external frame may be sized and structured suchthat when the top is engaged with the external frame, the external frameis outside of the enclosure.

Another implementation of the truck bed cover may include an externalframe connectable to the truck bed. The external frame may include apair of forward side posts disposable adjacent respective forwardcorners of the truck bed so as to extend vertically upward from thetruck bed, and a pair of rearward side posts disposable adjacentrespective rearward corners of the truck bed so as to extend verticallyupward from the truck bed. The external frame may additionally include apair of longitudinal extension members. Each longitudinal extensionmember may extend between a respective one of the pair of forward sideposts and a respective one of the pair of rearward side posts. The truckbed cover may further include a weather strip engageable with theexternal frame and positionable between the external frame and the cabto form a water tight seal between the external frame and the cab. A topmay be engageable with the external frame so as to be positioned overthe truck bed to at least partially define an enclosure over the truckbed. The top and the external frame may be sized and structured suchthat when the top is engaged with the external frame, the external frameis outside of the enclosure.

The weather strip may be inflatable. The weather strip may becompressible. The weather strip may define an opening that is alignablewith a window on the cab when the weather strip is positioned betweenthe external frame and the cab. The weather strip may circumnavigate theopening.

Yet another implementation of the truck bed cover may include anexternal frame connectable to the truck bed. The external frame mayinclude a pair of forward side posts disposable adjacent respectiveforward corners of the truck bed so as to extend vertically upward fromthe truck bed, and a pair of rearward side posts disposable adjacentrespective rearward corners of the truck bed so as to extend verticallyupward from the truck bed. The external frame may also include a pair oflongitudinal extension members, with each longitudinal extension memberextending between a respective one of the pair of forward side posts anda respective one of the pair of rearward side posts. The truck bed covermay also include a rack slidably connected to the external frame. A topmay be engageable with the external frame so as to be positioned overthe truck bed to at least partially define an enclosure over the truckbed. The top and the external frame may be sized and structured suchthat when the top is engaged with the external frame, the external frameis outside of the enclosure.

The truck bed cover may additionally include pair of rails coupled torespective ones of the pair of longitudinal extension members, the rackbeing slidable along the pair of rails. Each of the pair of rails mayinclude a first section positionable over the cab, and a second sectionextendable along the respective one of the pair of longitudinalextension members. The first section may be angled relative to thesecond section. The wherein the rack may be pivotable relative to thepair of rails.

Still another implementation of the truck bed cover may include anexternal frame connectable to the truck bed. The external frame mayinclude a pair of forward side posts disposable adjacent respectiveforward corners of the truck bed so as to extend vertically upward fromthe truck bed, and a pair of rearward side posts disposable adjacentrespective rearward corners of the truck bed so as to extend verticallyupward from the truck bed. The external frame may also include a pair oflongitudinal extension members, each longitudinal extension memberextending between a respective one of the pair of forward side posts anda respective one of the pair of rearward side posts and having a segmentthat slopes downwardly toward the tailgate in a direction from theforward side posts toward the rearward side posts. The truck bed covermay additionally include a top engageable with the external frame so asto be positioned over the truck bed to at least partially define anenclosure over the truck bed. The top and the external frame may besized and structured such that when the top is engaged with the externalframe, the external frame is outside of the enclosure.

The forward side posts may extend vertically upward from the truck bedby a first height and the pair of rearward side posts may extendvertically upward from the truck bed by a second height less than thefirst height.

The truck bed cover may additionally include a biasing element coupledto the upper panel and at least one of the pair of longitudinalextension members.

The truck bed cover may further comprise a crossbar extending betweenthe forward side posts, and a hinge pivotally connecting the top to thecrossbar.

According to yet another embodiment, the truck bed cover may furthercomprise a front crossmember that extends along a forward edge of thetruck bed, along a rear edge of a truck cabin, and/or between a pair offorward side posts that extend upwards from the forward corners of thetruck bed. The front crossmember may comprise a recess that accepts afront edge of a top cover of the frame. This coupling may be a hingedconnection that allows the top to rotate relative to the recess.

According to yet another embodiment, slideable rails may be embeddedwithin members of the frame, such as longitudinal or crosswise membersalong a side of the truck bed, longitudinal members that extend betweenposts of the frame, or even rooftop members that extend along a surfaceof a truck cabin. In preferred embodiments, the slideable rails comprisea recess that runs along a length of a member of the frame. Suchrecesses could extend along a length of one member to feed into a recessalong a length of another member, for example a recess could extendalong a length of a longitudinal member coupled to a rooftop mount,where the recess of the longitudinal member feeds into the recess of therooftop mount. By utilizing such configurations, an extended recessand/or rail could be configured to allow a rack to slide along a lengthof discrete members that are attached to one another longitudinally.

In some embodiments, the rooftop mount could be hingedly coupled toother members of the frame, such that the rooftop mount could rotatebetween a position above a cabin of a truck and a position above a bedof a truck. In embodiments where the frame is slanted, the rooftop mountcould be configured to rotate at least 90, 180, 210, or even 250degrees.

Any suitable sliding mechanism could be used to slide a rack along alength of a member of the frame, for example wheels or matingprojections. Preferably, the sliding mechanisms further comprise a lockto prevent the rack from sliding along a recess or a rail when in alocked position, and allow sliding when in an unlocked position. Thesliding mechanisms are preferably located along a bottom edge of a rackto improve stability and connection between the rack and the rail. Inpreferred embodiments, a plurality of different types of racks could beconfigured to mate with the same rail or recess, allowing racks to beinterchangeable, and also allowing a plurality of racks to be coupled tothe same rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a truck;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a truck bed with an exemplary framebeing assembled on the truck bed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the truck bed with the frame of FIG. 2being further assembled on the truck bed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the truck bed and the frame of FIG. 2with a top folded over a cab of the truck;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the truck bed and frame of FIG. 2 withthe top being deployed on the frame;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the truck bed and the frame of FIG. 2with the top and side panels deployed on the frame;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the truck bed and the frame of FIG. 2with the side panels removed from the frame;

FIG. 8 illustrates side panels being mounted to the frame of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 illustrates rubber lockouts for securing the folded top to thecab, as shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 illustrates the side panel and a first embodiment of securingthe side panel to the frame of FIG. 2;

FIG. 11 illustrates a side panel and a second embodiment of securing theside panel to the frame of FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 illustrates a motorcycle being loaded on the truck bed and thetop being in a stored position over the cab;

FIG. 13 illustrates a motorcycle loaded on the truck bed;

FIG. 14 illustrates a front edge of the top capable of being pivoted sothat the folded top can be stored on top of the cab;

FIG. 15 illustrates a rack being mountable to a frame;

FIG. 16 illustrates the rack of FIG. 15 resting on the frame;

FIG. 17 illustrates the rack of FIG. 15 with clamps secured to theframe;

FIG. 18 illustrates front headlights mounted to the frame;

FIG. 19 illustrates a pop up top in a down position;

FIG. 20 illustrates rubber lockouts being disengaged so that the pop uptop can be traversed to an up position;

FIG. 21 illustrates the pop up top in the up position;

FIG. 22 illustrates how to open up the pop up top so that a motorcyclebeing higher than frame can fit within the truck bed;

FIG. 23 illustrates a second embodiment of a frame;

FIG. 24 illustrates the second embodiment shown in FIG. 23 with thefoldable top and removably attachable side panels;

FIG. 25 is an upper perspective view of another embodiment of a truckbed cover;

FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of one example of connectors used on thetruck bed cover depicted in FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is an enlarged view of another example of connectors used on thetruck bed cover depicted in FIG. 25;

FIG. 28 is a schematic, cross sectional representation of a truck bedcapable of selectively supporting a truck bed cover in a raised positionand a lowered position;

FIG. 29 is an exploded upper perspective view of the top in a deployedconfiguration and removed from the truck bed and the external frame;

FIG. 30 is an upper perspective view of another embodiment of a truckbed cover including a top in a folded configuration for storage in a cabof the truck;

FIG. 31 is an upper perspective view of the truck bed cover of FIG. 29,with the cover in a deployed configuration and connected to an externalframe;

FIG. 32 is a partial cross sectional view of the truck bed cover of FIG.30, showing a snap fastener for connecting the top to the externalframe;

FIG. 33 is an upper perspective view of the truck bed cover of FIG. 30,depicting a rear window panel in a partially rolled up configuration;

FIG. 34 is an upper perspective view of the truck bed cover of FIG. 30,with a top panel being transitioned to a stowed configuration;

FIG. 35 is an upper perspective view of a weather strip detached from arear surface of a cab;

FIG. 36 is an upper perspective view of the weather strip attached tothe cab and an external frame in an exploded configuration;

FIG. 37 is an upper perspective view of the weather strip attached tothe cab and the external frame mounted on the truck bed;

FIG. 38 is an upper perspective view of side panels being attached tothe external frame;

FIG. 39 is an upper perspective view of an upper panel hinged to theexternal frame in a first intermediate configuration;

FIG. 40 is an upper perspective view of the upper panel in a secondintermediate configuration;

FIG. 41 is an upper perspective view of a roof rack coupled to theexternal frame, the roof rack being in an over-the-roof position, andthe upper panel being in a closed position;

FIG. 41A shows a pivot mechanism configured to facilitate pivotalmovement of the roof rack relative to the rails;

FIG. 42 is an upper perspective view of the roof rack and upper panel,the roof rack being in the over-the-roof position, and the upper panelbeing in an open position;

FIGS. 43 and 44 are side, upper perspective views showing the roof racksliding along rails between an over-the-roof position, and anover-the-bed position, respectively;

FIG. 45 is an upper perspective view of another embodiment of a slidableroof rack for transporting a surfboard;

FIG. 46 is an upper perspective view of the roof rack mounted to theexternal frame over the truck bed;

FIG. 47 is a perspective view of another truck;

FIG. 48 is a perspective view of a truck bed with another exemplaryframe being assembled on the truck bed of FIG. 47;

FIG. 49 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 48 with a topextended over an upper frame cavity;

FIG. 50 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 48 with a top foldedover the upper frame cavity;

FIG. 51 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 48 having side panelsfolded away from a center of the cab;

FIG. 52 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 48 with a top foldedover the bed of the truck;

FIG. 53 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 48, having sidepanels folded over the top that is folded over the bed of the truck;

FIG. 54 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 48, having acrossmember coupled to the side panels that have been folded over thetop that is folded over the bed of the truck;

FIG. 55 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 48, having sidepanels folded over the top at another angle;

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of an alternative frame embodiment beingassembled on the truck bed of FIG. 47;

FIG. 57 is a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 56 having a pair ofrooftop mounts disposed on a cab rooftop;

FIG. 58 is a zoomed-in view of the rooftop mounts of FIG. 57, showing acoupling mechanism;

FIG. 59 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 57 having a rackcoupled to railings of the frame;

FIG. 60 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 59, showing therack moved to a new position to load rack items;

FIG. 61 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 60, showing therack moved to yet another position;

FIG. 62 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 60, showinganother rack mounted to the railings of the frame;

FIG. 63 shows a perspective view of yet another alternative frameembodiment being assembled on the truck bed of FIG. 47;

FIG. 64 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 63 in a furtherstate of assembly;

FIG. 65 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 63 in a furtherstate of assembly with an alternative rooftop mount;

FIG. 66 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 66 having therooftop mount folded to a new position over the bed of the truck;

FIG. 67 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 66 having a rackcoupled to the railings of the frame;

FIG. 68 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 68 having the rackmoved to a different position along the frame;

FIG. 69 shows a perspective view of the frame of FIG. 69 having anotherrack coupled to the railings of the frame;

FIG. 70 is a perspective view of a sport utility vehicle (SUV);

FIG. 71 shows a perspective view of a track assembled on the SUV of FIG.70;

FIG. 72 illustrates the track being traversed from a stored position toa deployed position

FIG. 73 illustrates the track traversed to the deployed position;

FIG. 73A is a cross sectional view of the track and a rack shown in FIG.73;

FIG. 73B is a different cross sectional view of the track and the rackshown in FIG. 73;

FIG. 74 illustrates the rack shown in FIG. 73 filled with a load andbeing traversed to a position above the SUV;

FIG. 75 illustrates two racks above the SUV;

FIG. 76 illustrates the track traversed to the stored position;

FIG. 77A shows a perspective view of a first version of a trackassembled on a van;

FIG. 77B shows a perspective view of a second version of a trackassembled on the van;

FIG. 78A illustrates the track of the first version being traversed froma stored position to a deployed position;

FIG. 78B illustrates the track of the second version being traversedfrom a stored position to a deployed position;

FIG. 79A illustrates the track of the first version continuing to betraversed to the deployed position;

FIG. 79B illustrates the track of the second version continuing to betraversed to the deployed position;

FIG. 80A illustrates the track of the first version traversed to thedeployed position;

FIG. 80B illustrates the track of the second version traversed to thedeployed position;

FIG. 81A illustrates a rack on the track of the first version;

FIG. 81B illustrates a rack on the track of the second version;

FIG. 82A illustrates the rack being lifted up by reconfiguring the trackof the first version;

FIG. 82B illustrates the rack being lifted up by reconfiguring the trackof the second version;

FIG. 83A illustrates the rack being traversed to a position above thevehicle; and

FIG. 83B illustrates the rack being traversed to a position above thevehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, a truck bed accessory frame 10, 210 (seeFIGS. 4 and 23) is shown. The frame 10, 210 allows for variousaccessories to be removably mounted thereto such as a foldable top 12(see FIGS. 4 and 14), removable side panels 14 (see FIG. 8), roof rack16 (see FIG. 16), and pop-up top 18 are shown. The truck bed accessoryframe 10, 210 may be configured to be enclosed, as shown in FIG. 15,partially open by removing one or more panels 14 or have an open top byremoving the top 12 (see FIG. 13) so that a motorcycle 20 can fit in atruck bed 22. The truck bed accessory frame may form a box configuredstorage area, as shown in FIG. 9, or a slant back configuration, asshown in FIGS. 12, and 23-25. The truck bed accessory frame 10, 210provides for flexible configuration that allows the user to have anenclosed truck bed area and one that is reconfigurable so that thefull-length and height of the truck bed can be utilized and does notprevent the user from loading a motorcycle or something that is too highon the truck bed because of the truck bed accessory frame 10, 210.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a truck 24 shown. The truck 24 may have thetruck bed 22. The truck bed has first and second sidewalls 26, 28, atailgate 30, a front wall 32 and a cab 34 which is disposed in front ofthe front wall 32. The cab 34 also has a height 36 that extendsvertically above a top edge 38 of the front wall 32. The truck bed 22may have a length 40 of a short bed (e.g. 4 feet to 6.5 feet) or a longbed (e.g. 7 feet to 8 feet). The truck bed accessory frame 10, 210 maybe sized and configured to be mounted to truck beds having variouslengths 40 and widths 42.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the truck bed accessory frame 10 may have aforward driver side post 44, a forward passenger side post 46, arearward driver side post 48, a rearward passenger side post 50 whichare respectively aligned to corners of the truck bed 22, namely, theintersection between the first side wall 26 and the front wall 32, theintersection between the second sidewall 28 and the front wall 32 andthe rear end portions of the first and second sidewalls 26, 28. Theforward driver side and passenger side posts 44, 46 and the rearwarddriver side and passenger side posts 48, 50 may be mounted to a subframe52. The subframe 52 may extend from the forward driver side post 44 tothe rearward driver side post 48 and from the forward driver side post44 to the forward passenger side post 46 and from the forward passengerside post 46 to the rearward passenger side post 50. The posts 44, 46,48, 50 may be welded to the subframe 52. The subframe 52 may extendalong the length of both sidewalls 26, 28 and along the front side abovethe top edge 38 of the front wall 32. The rearward driver side andpassenger side posts 48, 50 may be similarly sized to the forward driverside and passenger side posts 44, 46, or alternatively, a rearwarddriver side and passenger side posts 248, 250 may be shorter as shown inFIG. 23, as will be discussed further below.

The truck bed accessory frame 10, 210 may have a front crossmember 54and a rear crossmember 56. The front crossmember 54 may be secured tothe forward driver side and passenger side posts 44, 46 with fasteners.The front crossmember 54 and the upper end portions of the forwarddriver side and passenger side posts 44, 46 may have mating cutouts 58,60, as shown in FIG. 2. The rear crossmember 56 may be secured to therearward driver side and passenger side posts 48, 50 with fasteners aswell. Similar to the front crossmember 54, the rear crossmember 56 andthe upper end portions of the rearward driver side and passenger sideposts 48, 50 may have mating cutouts 58, 60, as shown in FIG. 5.Although fasteners are not shown, they may be inserted into theapertures and received into respective threaded apertures. Additionally,the rear crossmember 56 may be easily removed and attached to therearward driver side and passenger side posts 48, 50 by utilizing speedfasteners such as ball-lok pins fabricated by Avibank Manufacturing inBurbank, Calif.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the truck bed accessory frame 10 may also havedriver and passenger side longitudinal extension members 62, 64. Theextension members 62, 64 may be secured to the forward and rearwarddriver side posts 44, 48 wherein the extension member 62, 64 on opposingend portions thereof and the upper end portions of the forward andrearward driver side posts 44, 48 may have mating cutouts 58, 60 thatare secured to each other with fasteners, and the upper end portions ofthe forward and rearward passenger side posts 46, 50 may have matingcutouts 58, 60 that are secured to each other with fasteners.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, the foldable top 12 is shown. The foldabletop 12 may be stored above the cab 34 when the user wants full use ofthe truck bed 22. Alternatively, the user can deploy the top 12 as shownin FIGS. 6 and 7 so that the truck bed 22 is enclosed. The enclosureformed by the truck bed accessory frame 10 may be fully enclosed bysecuring side panels 14 to the respective posts 44, 46, 48, 50 and thefront crossmember 54. The top 12 may have three panels 66, 68, 70 and arear hatch 72. The panels 66, 68, 70 and the rear hatch 72 may be foldedupon each other and stored above the cab 34, as shown in FIG. 4. Thefoldable top 12 may be secured to the roof of the cab 34 with rubberlockouts 74 (see FIG. 9). The rubber lockouts 74 may be attached to therear hatch 72 and the roof of the cab 34 on both sides of the rear hatch72. The rubber lockouts 74 may be secured to roof accessory rails 76 ofthe cab 34. The rubber lockouts 74 has a first part 78 secured to therail 76 of the roof of the cab 34. The rubber lockouts 74 also has thesecond part 80 secured to the rear hatch 72. There is a rubber extensionmember 82 that is pivotally secured to the second part 80. The rubberextension member 82 may have a handle 84 that can be grasped to stretchthe rubber extension member 82 so that an enlarged portion 86 can bepulled out of the first part 78 to dislodge the enlarged portion 86 ofthe rubber extension member 82 out of the first part 78. In this way,the panels 66, 68, 70 and the rear hatch 72 may be traversed from thestored position as shown in FIG. 4 to the deployed position as shown inFIG. 7. Left and right edges 88, 90 of the panels 66, 68, 70 may besecured to the driver and passenger side longitudinal extension members62, 64 with removable fasteners including but not limited to screws,ball-lok pins and rubber lockouts 74 that are secured along the lengthof the edges 88, 90 and the driver and passenger longitudinal extensionmembers 62, 64. Also, the rear crossmember 56 may be secured to theupper end portions of the rearward driver side and passenger side posts48, 50 with fasteners or quick release fasteners.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-7, the rubber lockouts are not shown. However,this is merely for purposes of clarity. As is the case in relation toFIG. 19, the rubber lockouts 74 may be disposed about the top 12 inorder to hold the top 12 down while driving the truck 24.

Referring now to FIG. 8, panels 14 may be secured to the frame 10 inorder to form an enclosure. The panels 14 may be attached to the sidesand the front of the frame 10. The panels 14 may be removably secured tothe posts 44, 46, 48, 50 and the front crossmember 54 as shown in FIGS.10 and 11. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the side panel 14 is shown as beingremovably securable to the passenger longitudinal extension member 64and the rearward passenger side post 50 and the subframe 52. Thesubframe 52 and the rearward passenger side post 50 are shown as beingdetached from each other but this is for clarity. The bottom end of therearward passenger side post 50 may be permanently secured to thesubframe 52. The rearward passenger side post 50 is shown as beingdetached from the passenger longitudinal extension member 64 for thepurpose of showing the interconnection between the panel 14 and thesubframe 52, the rearward passenger side post 50 and the passengerlongitudinal extension member 64. FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate twodifferent means of attaching the panel to the frame 10. In FIG. 10, thepanel 14 a may be secured to the rearward passenger side post 50 withhooks and loops. The upper edge of the panel 14 a may be secured to thepassenger longitudinal extension member 64 with a T slot. The panel 14 amay have a T shaped male prong 94 and the passenger longitudinalextension member 64 may have a mating T shaped cavity 96. The T shapedmale prong 94 may be slid into the female cavity 96. Thereafter, thepassenger longitudinal extension member 64 may be secured to thepassenger side posts 46, 50 with fasteners. The hooks and loops 92 maybe used to attach the panel 14 a to the forward and rearward passengerside posts 46, 50. Hooks and loops may also be used to secure the panel14 a to the subframe 52. Once the panel 14 a is secured, a zipper 98 maybe used to open up or close the side of the frame 10. The same structureused to secure the panel 14 a to the passenger side of the frame 10 mayalso be utilized to secure a panel 14 a to the front and driver sides ofthe frame 10.

In FIG. 11, the panel 14 b may be secured to the frame 10 in the samemanner except that the panel 14 b does not have a zippered window andthe interconnection between the panel 14 b and the passengerlongitudinal extension member 64 may be with an L shaped slot. Inparticular, this embodiment allows the panel 14 b to be secured to theframe while the passenger longitudinal extension member 64 is alreadymounted to the passenger side posts 46, 50. The L shaped prong 100 maybe received into an L shaped cavity 102. Fasteners 106 may be used toscrew and hold the L shaped prong 100 into the L shaped cavity 102. Theinterconnections between the T shaped prong and the L shaped prong 94,100 form a watertight connection. The T shaped prong and the L shapedprong 94, 100 connects to form a watertight connection with thepassenger longitudinal extension member 64, driver longitudinalextension member 62 and the front crossmember 54.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, the motorcycle 20 may be loaded ontothe truck bed. This is true even if the height of the motorcycle extendsabove the front cross member 54 and the driver and longitudinalextension members 62, 64. When the motorcycle 20 is loaded onto thetruck bed 22, the foldable top 12 is secured to the cab 34 with therubber lockouts 74. Additionally, the panels 14 prevent dirt and debrisfrom entering the truck bed 22. The motorcycle 20 may be locked down tothe truck bed 22.

Referring now to FIG. 14, a hinge 104 is shown which allows the foldabletop 12 to be stored over the cab 34. In particular, the hinge 104 may besecured to the front cross member 54 with fasteners 106 and the panel 66of the foldable top 12. The panel 66 is rotatable 180° about a pivotaxis 108 in the direction of rotational arrow 110.

Referring now to FIGS. 15-18, the rack 16 may be secured to the driverand passenger longitudinal extension members 62, 64. In particular, therack 16 may have clamps 112 that can be traversed between the releasedposition, as shown in FIGS. 15-16 and an engaged position as shown inFIG. 17. With the clamps 112 in the released position, the clamps 112are laid on top of the driver and passenger longitudinal extensionmembers 62, 64 as shown in FIG. 16. The clamps 112 are then traversed(i.e. rotated) in order to clamp to the driver and passengerlongitudinal extension members 62, 64.

Additionally, in FIG. 18, flood lights 114 may be mounted to the frame10, namely, the forward driver side and passenger side posts 44, 46and/or the front crossmember 54.

Referring now to FIGS. 19-22, a pop-up top 18 is shown. The pop-up top12 may be extended upward, as shown in FIG. 21 so that the interiorvolume defined by the frame 10 may be enlarged in order to hold largeritems within the truck bed 22. The pop-up top 18 may have a generallyrigid top panel 150. The top panel 150 may be sufficiently large tocover the entire area from the front crossmember 54 to the rearcrossmember 56 between the driver and passenger longitudinal extensionmembers 62, 64. The top panel 150 of the pop-up top 18 is biased to theup position as shown in FIG. 21. In order to hold the top panel 150 inthe down position which is shown in FIG. 19, the pop-up top 18 mayinclude a plurality of rubber lockouts 74 around the periphery of thetop panel 150.

The first part 78 may be attached to the driver and passengerlongitudinal extension members 62, 64 and the front and rearcrossmembers 54, 56. The second part 80 may be attached to the peripheryof the top panel 150. In FIG. 19, the rubber lockouts 74 are shown asbeing only on the driver side of the top panel 150 but it is alsocontemplated that the rubber lockouts 74 may be disposed around theentire periphery so that one or more rubber lockouts 74 are on opposedsides of the top panel, specifically, the front and rear sides of thetop panel 150 and/or the driver and passenger sides of the top panel150.

Referring now to FIG. 20, the rubber lockout may be disengaged so thatthe top panel 150 can pop upward. By gripping the handle 84 and pullingdownward in the direction of arrow 117, the enlarged portion 86 isremoved from the first part 78. Once the enlarged part 86 clears thefirst part 78, the user releases the handle 84. All of the rubberlockouts 74 are disengaged so that the top panel 150 may be traversedupward. Additionally or alternatively, although not shown, rubberlockouts 74 may be placed on the inside or under the top panel 150 andon the interior of the frame 10. In this regard, the rubber lockouts 74must be disengaged by having the user climb into the truck bed anddisengage each of the rubber lockouts 74. The rubber lockouts 74disposed on the inside may be placed about a periphery in the samemanner as that of the rubber lockouts 74 disposed on the exterior sideshown in FIGS. 19-20.

Referring now to FIG. 21, the pop-up top 18 is shown. The top panel 150is in the up position. In that up position, there are a plurality ofpleated sides 118 about the entire periphery of the top panel 150 thatextends from the top panel 150 to the front and rear crossmembers 54, 56and the driver and passenger longitudinal extension members 62, 64. Thepleated sides 118 and the top panel 150 enlarge the interior volume ofthe frame 210 so that, if needed, the truck bed 22 can fit a motorcycle.In order to fit the motorcycle, the pleated side 118 a on the backsideof the top panel 150 may be removed. In particular, as shown in FIG. 22,the pleated side 118 a may be secured to the back edge of the top panel150, the left and right pleated sides 118 and the rear crossmember 56through any connection mechanism including but not limited to hooks andloops, snaps and other fastening mechanisms known in the art. In orderto fit a motorcycle into the truck bed, the pleated side 118 may beremoved as well as the rear crossmember 56 and the rear hatch 72. Themotorcycle may be placed in the truck bed 22 then the pleated side 118 aand the rear crossmember 56 and rear hatch 72 may be mounted back ontothe pop-up top 18 and the frame 10. Instead of removing the pleated side118 a, the short left and right vertical sides may be removed from thedriver side and passenger side pleated sides 118. Also, the bottom ofthe pleated side 118 may be removed from the rear crossmember 56. Thepleated side 118 a may be flipped up and over so that it rests on top ofthe top panel.

Referring now to FIGS. 23-25, a second embodiment of the frame 210 isshown. In particular, the frame 210 may have a shortened rearward driverside and passenger side posts 248, 250. The rearward driver side andpassenger side posts 48, 50 as well as the forward driver side andpassenger side posts 44, 46 may extend up to about a height of the cab34. In the frame 210, the forward driver side and passenger side posts44, 46 may still come up to about the height of the cab 34 but therearward driver side and passenger side posts 248, 250 may be about onehalf or less of the height of the forward driver side and passenger sideposts 44, 46. The driver and passenger longitudinal extension members262, 264 may extend backwards and slope downward as shown in FIG. 23.The second embodiment of the frame 210 illustrates a differentconfiguration from that of the frame 10 to illustrate that the frame mayhave different configurations but nevertheless can form an enclosedvolume as shown in FIG. 24 in the truck bed but also allow the sidepanels 214 to be removably attachable to the frame 210 in the samemanner as that described in relation to the frame 10. Additionally, thetop 212 and the rear hatch 272 may be foldable and stored on top of thecab for the same manner as that described in relation to frame 10.

The various accessories (e.g. foldable top, pop-up top, rack,floodlights, side panels) that are multiple to the frame 10 may also beconfigured to be used in relation to the frame 210. By way of exampleand patient, the top 212 may be stored above the cab 34 and held overthe cab with rubber lockouts 74. This is the stored position of the top212. The deployed position in order to form the enclosure is shown inFIG. 24. A pop-up top may be void on the frame 212. Instead of beingtraversed vertically up as shown in FIG. 21, the pop-up top employed onthe frame 210 will be traversed upward at an angle defined by the driverand passenger longitudinal extension members 262, 264. The rack may beattached to the driver and passenger longitudinal extension members 262,264 in the same manner described above in relation to frame 10.Likewise, floodlights may be mounted to the frame 210 in the same mannerdescribed above in relation to frame 10. Additionally, side panels maybe shaped to the size of the frame 210 and the side panels may bemounted to the frame 210 in the same manner described above in relationto the frame 10.

The frames may have triangular reinforcement bars 116 that extend fromforward driver side posts to the subframe 52, from the forward passengerside posts 46 to the subframe 52, from the driver longitudinal extensionmember 62 to the rear driver side post 48 and from the passengerlongitudinal extension member 64 to the rear passenger side post 50. Thetriangular reinforcement bar 116 adds rigidity to the frame 10, 210.

The top and side panels may form a waterproof seal along with the frontcross member, rear cross member and the driver and passengerlongitudinal extension members with a gasket placed around a section orthe entire periphery of the top and panels 14. The gasket may be anelongate rubber piece that mates with both the top and side panels andthe front cross member, rear cross member and the driver and passengerlongitudinal extension members. The weight of the top may press down onthe gasket to form the watertight seal. Also, the rubber lockouts mayplace downward pressure from the top onto the gasket to further ensurethe watertight seal. Other means of forming the waterproof seal are alsocontemplated such as the means explained in relation to FIGS. 10 and 11.Moreover, the side panels 14 may form a waterproof seal with the forwardand rearward driver side posts and the forward and rearward passengerside posts with a gasket disposed between the side panels and theforward and rearward driver side posts and the forward and rearwardpassenger side posts. Other means of forming the waterproof seal arealso contemplated such as the means explained in relation to FIGS. 10and 11. In particular, the interconnection shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 maybe formed between the panel and the forward and rearward driver sideposts and the forward and rearward passenger side posts as well as thesubframe 52.

Referring now to FIGS. 25-27, there is depicted another embodiment of atruck bed cover 202, which may define an enclosure over the truck bed22. The truck bed cover 202 may be adaptable to allow for variation inthe size of the enclosure defined by the truck bed cover 202. In thisregard, the truck bed cover 202 may include a top 204 which may beselectively transitioned between an upper position and a lower positionto vary the size of the enclosure defined by the truck bed cover 202,wherein the upper position may be associated with a larger enclosure,while the lower position may be associated with a smaller enclosure.This adaptability may be implemented via identically configuredconnectors 206, 208, which may be located along upper longitudinalmembers 62, 64 and lower longitudinal members 211 extending over thesidewalls of the truck bed 22. The top 204 may include complimentaryconnectors 215, which may be selectively engaged with the upperconnectors 206 on the upper longitudinal members 62, 64 to deploy thetruck bed cover 202 in the upper position, or the lower connectors 208on the lower longitudinal members 211 to deploy the truck bed cover 202in the lower position.

In more detail, the truck bed cover 202 includes a pair of supportframes 216 which are engageable with the truck bed 22 in opposedrelation to each other. One frame support 216 may be on the driver'sside and includes side posts 44, 48, as well as upper longitudinalmember 62 and lower longitudinal member 211. Frame support 218 may be onthe passenger's side and includes side posts 46, 50, as well as upperlongitudinal member 64 and lower longitudinal member 211. The lowerlongitudinal members 211 may extend along the upper ends of the truckbed sidewalls between respective sets of the side posts 44, 48 on thedriver's side and the side posts 46, 50 on the passenger's side. Thelower longitudinal members 211 may be secured to the sidewalls viarivets, screws, adhesives, or other fasteners known in the art. Thelower longitudinal members 211 may be in parallel relation to the upperlongitudinal members 62, 64, or there may be non-parallel relationshipbetween the lower longitudinal members 211 and the upper longitudinalmembers 62, 64. For instance, the upper longitudinal members 62, 64 maybe angled downwardly from the rear of the cab toward the tailgate,similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 23.

The top 204 generally includes a top panel 218, and a plurality of panelconnectors 215 coupled to the top panel 218. The top panel 218 mayinclude a pair of transverse edges 220 (i.e., forward and rearwardedges) and a pair of longitudinal edges 222 extending between thetransverse edges 220. The top panel 218 may be a flexible panel, or arigid panel. In the case of a flexible panel, the top panel 218 mayinclude several regions or sections separated by fold lines tofacilitate folding of the top panel 218 for storing the top 204. In oneparticular implementation, the top panel 218 may be folded to allow thetop panel to be easily stowed within the cab of the truck. The flexibletop panel 218 may be comprised of a fabric material, or other materialscapable of defining fold lines therein. Alternatively, the flexible toppanel 218 may be formed from a more rigid material, such as plastic,fiberglass, or the like, with the panel 218 being comprised of separatesections which are connected to each other via one or more hinges so asto facilitate folding of the top panel 218. A rigid top panel 218 may begenerally inflexible, i.e., incapable of folding onto itself. The rigidtop panel 218 may be formed from plastic, fiberglass, metal, rubber, orother materials known in the art.

The connectors 215 may be coupled to the top panel 218 adjacent thelongitudinal edges 222 thereof. In the exemplary embodiment, the top 204includes three connectors 215 positioned adjacent each longitudinal edge22, with the spacing between the connectors 215 being substantiallyequal. However, it is understood that the number of connectors 215 andthe spacing therebetween may be varied without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure. Each connector 215 may include astationary part 224 and a rubber extension member 226 pivotally securedto the stationary part 224. The rubber extension member 226 may have ahandle 228 that can be grasped to stretch the rubber extension member226 so that an enlarged portion 230 can be pulled out of a correspondingconnector 206, 208 to dislodge the enlarged portion 230 of the rubberextension member 226 out of the corresponding connector 206, 208. It iscontemplated that the extension member 226 may be formed from materialsother than rubber, such as plastic, metal, etc.

The upper connectors 206 attached to the upper longitudinal members 62,64, as well as the lower connectors 208 attached to the lowerlongitudinal members 211, may be complimentary to the panel connectors215 coupled to the top panel 218. In this respect, the upper and lowerconnectors 206, 208 may be referred to herein as “primary connectors,”while the panel connectors 215 may be referred to herein as “secondaryconnectors.” According to one embodiment, the upper connectors 206 andlower connectors 208 may be identical in configuration. As shown in theexemplary embodiment, the upper and lower connectors 206, 208 mayinclude a shaft portion 232 and a cup portion 234 at a distal end of theshaft portion 232. The cup portion 234 may be adapted to receive theenlarged portion 230 of the rubber extension member 226 so as to securethe connector 206, 208 to the panel connector 215. In this respect, thecup portion 234 may be resilient to allow the cup portion 234 to expandas the rubber extension member 226 is inserted therein and removedtherefrom. The resiliency may also allow the cup portion 234 to apply acompressive force on the rubber extension member 226 to retain therubber extension member 226 within the cup portion 226. Such resiliencymay be referred to as “snap-fit engagement” between the cup portion 234and the panel connector 215.

Although the foregoing description and related figures show the panelconnectors 215 as including the pivotable rubber extension members 226,and the upper and lower connectors 206, 208 as including thecomplimentary cup portion 234, it is understood that the configurationof the connectors may be reversed. For instance, the panel connectors215 may include the cup portion 234, while the upper and lowerconnectors 206, 208 may include the pivotable rubber extension members226. Furthermore, it is understood that other complimentary connectorsmay be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. Along these lines, the primary connectors 206, 208 andsecondary connectors 215 may include snaps, buttons, zippers, hook andloop fasteners, magnets, or other fasteners known in the art forsecuring the top panel 218 in place.

Although the foregoing describes the lower connectors 208 as beingconnected to the lower longitudinal members 211, it is contemplated thatthe lower connectors 208 may be connected directly to the sidewalls ofthe truck bed, as shown in FIG. 27. As such, the position of the lowerconnectors 208 is not limited to being directly connected to the lowerlongitudinal members 211. The lower connectors 208 may be coupled to thesidewalls of the truck bed via adhesives, magnets, rivets, screws, orother fasteners known in the art.

In use, the top 204 may be selectively transitioned between severaldifferent positions to allow the truck bed cover 202 to assume severaldifferent operable configurations. The top 204 may be placed in a firstdeployed position, or an upper position, by connecting the top 204 tothe upper longitudinal members 62, 64 (see FIGS. 19 and 20). When thetop 204 is in the first deployed position, the panel connectors 215 areengaged with the upper connectors 206, and disengaged from the lowerconnectors 208. By placing the top 204 in the first deployed position,the truck bed cover 204, including the side panels 14 discussed in moredetail above, may define a large enclosure. In the first deployedposition, the top panel 218 may be spaced upwardly from the sidewalls ofthe truck bed and the top of the tailgate. At least a portion of the toppanel 218 may reside in a plane that is substantially parallel to theroof of the cab. When the side panels 14 are used for forming part ofthe enclosure, it is contemplated that the side panels 14 may beconnected to an inner periphery of the corresponding support frame 216.In this regard, the “inner periphery” refers to any portion of the upperlongitudinal members 62, 64 and the lower longitudinal members 211 towhich the side panels 14 may be attached, while still allowing at leasta portion of the upper and lower longitudinal members 62, 64, 211 to beexposed to create the appearance of a robust exoskeleton. As such, the“inner periphery” of the upper longitudinal members 62, 64 may broadlyinclude any part of the lower hemisphere or lower half of the upperlongitudinal members 62, 64, as well as any part of the inner hemisphereor inner half of the upper longitudinal members 62, 64. Likewise, the“inner periphery” of the lower longitudinal members 211 may broadlyinclude any part of the upper hemisphere or upper half of the upperlongitudinal members 211, as well as any part of the inner hemisphere orinner half of the lower longitudinal members 211.

The top 204 may be placed in a second deployed position, or lowerposition, by connecting the top 204 to the lower longitudinal members211. When the top 204 is in the second deployed position, the panelconnectors 215 are engaged with the lower connectors 208, and disengagedfrom the upper connectors 206. By placing the top 204 in the seconddeployed position, the truck bed cover 204 may extend over the truck bedin close proximity to the top of the sidewalls of the truck bed, as wellas the top of the tailgate to define a smaller enclosure relative to thesize of the enclosure when the top 204 is in the first deployedposition.

The top 204 may assume a third deployed position, similar to the seconddeployed position, wherein the panel connectors 215 are engaged withlower connectors 208 on the sidewalls of the truck bed. In this regard,the support frame used to support the top panel 218 in the firstdeployed position may be removed from the truck bed, including the posts44, 46, 48, 50, the upper longitudinal members 62, 64, and the lowerlongitudinal members 211.

By moving the top 204 from the first deployed position to the seconddeployed position or third deployed position, the top 204 may be loweredby a distance which is substantially equal to the height 36 of the cab34. Conversely, by moving the top 204 from the second deployed position,or third deployed position, to the first deployed position, the top 204may be raised by a distance which is substantially equal to the height36 of the cab 34.

In addition to the first and second deployed positions, the top 204 maybe transitioned to a disengaged position, by disconnecting the panelconnectors 215 from the upper connectors 206 and the lower connectors208. After such disconnections are made, the top 204 may be removed fromthe truck bed, leaving the truck bed uncovered. By uncovering the truckbed, tall items which may extend well above the cab, such asmotorcycles, may be placed in the truck bed. As such, use of the truckbed cover 202 does not limit use of the truck bed. Rather, the truck bedcover 202 enhances use of the truck bed by providing an enclosure whichmay be selectively deployed and sized as needed.

When the top 204 is disengaged from the truck bed, the top panel 218 maybe folded and stored in the cab of the truck, or in another locationoutside of the truck, such as in a garage or storage closet. In thisrespect, the top panel 218 may be formed of sections or sub-panels,which may facilitate folding of the top panel 218. It is alsocontemplated that other ways of allowing the top panel 218 to assume asmaller configuration, such as rolling the top panel 218, may also beused.

The configuration of the top 204 provides enhanced adaptability thatallows the owner to remount the top 204 in several different positions,depending on the space that is needed in a given time. Furthermore, thetop 204 may form a part of all types of tonneau covers, includingfolding-panel-type tonneau covers, roll up tonneau covers, hingingtonneau covers, or other types of tonneau covers known in the art. Alongthese lines, FIG. 28 is a schematic, cross sectional representation of atruck bed capable of selectively supporting the top of a truck bed coverin a lowered position and a raised position. Only one side of the truckbed is shown in FIG. 28, with the opposing side being symmetrical aboutaxis 235. When in the lowered position, the top 204 may be supported bya lower support 240 connected to a respective sidewall 26, 28 of thetruck bed 22. When in the raised position, the top 204 may be supportedby an upper support 242 connected to a respective longitudinal extensionmember 62, 64. The lower and upper supports 240, 242 may be configuredto accommodate the specific type of top included in a particular tonneaucover.

For a roll up tonneau cover, the lower and upper supports 240, 242 mayinclude side rails which may support a top 204 having a rear bar, frontbar, support bows, and a cover panel. An exemplary roll up tonneau coveris the Original Slantback® Roll-Up Cover sold by Access®, which is adivision of AGRI-COVER, INC. in Jamestown, N.Dak. For more detailregarding roll up tonneau covers, please refer to the INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONS for the Original Slantback® Roll-Up Cover by Access®, whichare expressly incorporated herein by reference.

For a tri-fold tonneau cover, the lower and upper supports 240, 242 mayinclude structures which may interface with clamps or other mountinghardware on the tri-fold tonneau cover. An exemplary soft tri-foldtonneau cover is the Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover sold by American TonneauCompany™, located in Ann Arbor, Mich. An exemplary hard tri-fold tonneaucover is the Hard Tri-Fold Tonneau from Rugged Cover™, located inOwosso, Mich. It is understood that tri-fold tonneau covers may clamponto slide bracket assemblies that slide within channels formed in thetruck bed. In this regard, it is contemplated that the lower and uppersupports 240, 242 may also include channels for support such slidebracket assemblies. As an alternative, it is contemplated that the upperand lower supports 240, 242 may integrate the structure associated withthe slide bracket assemblies that interface with clamps on the tonneaucover. For more information regarding tri-fold tonneau covers, pleaserefer to the TRI-FOLD TONNEAU INSTALLATION GUIDE for the AmericanTonneau Company Tri-Fold Tonneau Cover, as well as the HARD TRI-FOLDTONNEAU INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS for the Rugged Cover Hard Tri-FoldTonneau, the contents of each of which are expressly incorporated hereinby reference.

For a retractable tonneau cover, the lower and upper supports 240, 242may include rails which slidably support the tonneau top. Exemplaryretractable tonneau covers include the JackRabbit™ series of tonneaucovers, sold by Pace Edwards located in Centralia, Wash. For moreinformation regarding retractable tonneau covers, please refer to theSTANDARD INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS for the JackRabbit™ series.

For hard tonneau covers, the lower and upper supports 240, 242 mayinclude mounting brackets to support hydraulic struts used to facilitatepivotal movement of the tonneau cover. In this regard, it iscontemplated that the truck bed frame 210 may allow a hard tonneau covermay be pivotally mounted in two positions over the truck bed, i.e., alowered position and a raised position. Exemplary hard tonneau coversinclude the Model 1010 tonneau cover sold by UnderCover™ located inRogersville, Mo., as well as the Ridgelander™ DF921019, also sold byUnderCover™. For more information regarding hard tonneau covers, pleaserefer to the TONNEAU INSTALLATION GUIDE for the UnderCover™ Model 1010tonneau cover, as well as the INSTALLATION GUIDE for the Ridgelander™DF921019, the contents of both being expressly incorporated herein byreference.

It is contemplated that tonneau covers may be sectioned so as to includedifferent panels. For instance, a sectional tonneau cover may include atailgate panel, and a cab & T panel. It is also contemplated that asectional tonneau cover may include cab panel, a center panel and a tailpanel. Exemplary sectional tonneau covers may include the Diamondback270 tonneau cover, as well as the Diamondback HD SE tonneau cover, bothbeing sold by DiamondBack located in Philipsburg, Pa. For sectionaltonneau covers, the lower and upper supports 240, 242 may includebrackets or other structures which interface with clamps on the tonneaucover. For more information regarding sectional tonneau covers, pleaserefer to the INSTALLATION GUIDE for the Diamondback 270 tonneau cover,as well as the INSTALLATION GUIDE for the Diamondback HD SE cover, thecontents of both being expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Referring now to FIGS. 29-34, there is depicted another embodiment of atruck bed cover 300 (see FIG. 29) in various stages of deployment. Thetruck bed cover 300 generally includes the frame 10 securable to thetruck bed 22 (see FIG. 29), as described in more detail above, and a top302 attachable to an interior side of the frame 10. FIG. 29 shows thetop 302 in an unfolded configuration outside of the frame 10, while FIG.30 shows the top 302 in a folded configuration for storage in the cab ofthe truck. FIGS. 31-34 show the top 302 connected to the interior sideof the frame 10, such that the frame 10 is visible to a person standingoutside and adjacent to the truck because the top 302 is on the innerside of the frame 10, the frame 10 is visible to the person. Thiscreates the appearance of a robust exoskeleton supporting the top 302.The top 302 may also include an upper panel 304, which may extendbetween upper edges of lower panels 306, 308, 310, 312 of the top 302 toform a roof over the truck bed. The upper panel 304 may also be detachedfrom the lower panels of the top 302 and folded to create an openingover the truck bed 22 so that the truck bed can accommodate largeritems, such as a motorcycle in the truck bed. The frame 10 may alsoinclude upper crossmembers 54, 55, 56, which may be removed toaccommodate such larger items when the upper panel 304 is folded. Thetop 302 may be attached to the frame 10 so that the lower panels 306,308, 310, 312 are still held in place on the interior side of the frame10 when the upper panel 304 is removed or transitioned so as to beconfigured to be out of the way to allow a larger item to be stored onthe truck bed.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 29, the top 302 generally includesthe upper panel 304, a pair of side panels 306, 308, a front panel 310,and a rear panel 312. The side panels 306, 308 are joined to the upperpanel 304 to define respective side seams 307, 309, with the side panels306, 308 extending downwardly from the upper panel 304 in generallyopposed relation to each other. When the top 302 is positioned over thetruck bed and attached to the frame 10, each side panel 306, 308 extendsfrom the upper panel 304 to an upper region of a respective sidewall 26,28 on the truck bed 22. The front panel 310 is joined to the upper panel304 to define a front seam 311, with the front panel 310 extending fromthe upper panel 304, between the pair of side panels 306, 308 and beingpositionable so as to extend adjacent to (e.g., parallel) a rear wall 35of the cab 34 when the top 302 is deployed. The rear panel 312 is joinedto the upper panel 304 to define a rear seam 313, with the rear panel312 extending from the upper panel 304 in generally opposed relation tothe front panel 310, and between the pair of side panels 306, 308. Therear panel 312 may extend between the upper panel 304 and the tailgate30 when the tailgate 30 is in a closed, raised position.

The upper panel 304 may include an inner surface 314 (see FIG. 32) andan outer surface 316 (see FIG. 32), with the inner surface 314 facingtoward the truck bed 22 when the top 302 is deployed, and the outersurface 316 facing away from the truck bed 22 when the top 302 isdeployed.

To transition the top 302 from the deployed position shown in FIG. 29 tothe folded configuration shown in FIG. 30, the side panels 306, 308 maybe folded about respective seams 307, 308 (see FIG. 29) and toward theinner surface 314 (see FIG. 32) of the upper panel 304. The side panels306, 308 may also folded about pleated lines 301. Similarly, the frontpanel 310 and rear panel 312 may also be folded about respective seams311, 313 (see FIG. 29) and toward the inner surface 314 of the upperpanel 304. With the side panels 306, 308, front panel 310, and rearpanel 312 folded toward the inner surface 314 of the upper panel 304,the upper panel 304 may be folded in half about a longitudinal fold line315 (see FIG. 29), thereby making the overall size of the folded top 302smaller to facilitate storage. The top 302 may be folded along otherfold lines (not shown) which may be parallel or perpendicular tolongitudinal fold line 315, depending on the desired foldedconfiguration. As shown in FIG. 30, the folded top 302 may be placed inthe cab 34 for storage behind the seat, and then subsequently removedfrom the cab 34 for use and deployment.

To deploy/unfold the top 302, the top 302 may be transitioned to theconfiguration shown in FIG. 29, with the side panels 306, 308, frontpanel 310, and rear panel 312 all extending downwardly from the upperpanel 304. The top 302 may be moved into position for attachment to theframe 10. In particular, the top 302 may be placed over the truck bed22, and under the frame 10. The top 302 may then be attached to theframe 10 so that the top 302 is partially supported by the frame 10 asshown in FIG. 31. The top 302 and the frame 10 may include snapfasteners 318 (see FIG. 32) for allowing the top 302 to be secured tothe frame 10.

Referring now to FIG. 32, a snap fastener 318 is shown for connectingthe top 302 to the frame 10. In particular, the snap fastener 318 mayinclude a first fastener body 320 and a second fastener body 322. Thefirst fastener body 320 may be mounted on the frame 10, with FIG. 32showing the first fastener body 320 on the rear crossmember 56, and thesecond fastener body 322 is shown as being mounted on the upper panel304. The second fastener body 322 may be pressed into the first fastenerbody 320 to facilitate connection between the fastener bodies 320, 322,as well as connection of the top 302 to the frame 10.

The top 302 may include a plurality of first fastener bodies 320arranged adjacent the outer periphery of the upper panel 304 in spacedrelation to each other. For instance, adjacent first fastener bodies 320may be spaced apart from each other by approximately 6-18 inches, andmore preferably, 12 inches. The front crossmember 54, rear crossmember56, intermediate crossmember 55, and extension members 62, 64 mayinclude a plurality of corresponding second fastener bodies 322. Thus,the user may begin by attaching the first fastener bodies 320 on the top302 to the second fastener bodies 322 on the front cross member 54, thenthe intermediate cross member, and along the extension members 62, 64.Finally, the first fastener bodies 320 on the top 302 may be connectedto the second fastener bodies 322 on the rear crossmember 56. Thespacing of the second fastener bodies 322 along the frame may be spacedsimilar to the first fastener bodies 320 such that second fastenerbodies 322 become aligned with the first fastener bodies 320 when thetop 302 is moved toward the deployed configuration.

In addition to attachment to the frame 10, the panels 306, 308, 310, 312may also include a plurality of first fastener bodies 320 in spacedrelation to each other, which interface with a corresponding pluralityof second fastener bodies 322 mounted to the truck bed 22. Therefore,after the top 302 has been connected to the frame 10, the first fastenerbodies 320 on the top 302 may be connected to the corresponding secondfastener bodies 322 on the front wall 32 of the truck bed, then alongthe sidewalls 26, 28, and finally along the tailgate 30.

Although the foregoing describes the user of snap fasteners 318 forconnecting the top 302 to the frame 10 and truck bed 22, it iscontemplated that zippers, track members, magnets, buttons, or otherfasteners may be used in lieu or in addition to snap fasteners to attachthe top 302 to the frame 10.

The side, front and rear panels 306, 308, 310, 312 may be separatepanels that are joined to the upper panel 304 to define water-tightseams at the junction of adjacent panels, which themselves may be formedfrom water-resistant material. The adjacent panels may be joined by azipper, sewing, through the use of adhesives, welding, or via otherfasteners or techniques known by those skilled in the art. The frame 10and the top 302 may be sized and structured such that when the top 302is deployed and connected to the frame 10, various members of the frame10 may extend along the seams on the top 302 to at least partially hideor conceal the seams, and enhance the robust appearance of the truck bedcover 300. The proximity of the frame members to the seams may alsoallow the frame 10 to provide support to the top 302 adjacent the seamsto enhance the strength of the truck bed cover 300. With regard to agiven seam, the adjacent panels forming that seam may both be attachedto a common frame member to transfer forces from the panels to the framemember, rather than having all of the forces between the adjacent panelsbeing supported solely by the seam.

It is contemplated that the upper panel 304 may be configured whendeployed and connected to the frame 10 so that a central area of theupper panel 304 is raised to a higher level than the periphery of theupper panel 304 so that rainwater tends to drip off the upper panel 304and does not collect on to the upper panel 304. In this regard, the snapfastener 318 located at the central area of the upper panel 304 may poolup on the central area of the upper panel 304 while the snap fastener318 and other areas of the upper panel 304 slope downward as oneapproaches the outer periphery of the upper panel 304.

Each of the panels 306, 308, 310, 312 may include a transparent section327, 329, 331, 333 (see FIG. 29) and a non-transparent section 335, 337,339, 341, with the transparent sections 327, 329, 331, 333 functioningas windows. The non-transparent sections 335, 337, 339, 341 may beformed from a woven material, such as canvas, or other durable materialsknown in the art, while the transparent sections 327, 329, 331, 333 maybe formed from plastic, vinyl, or other transparent materials known inthe art. The transparent sections 327, 329, 331, 333 may allow a user tolook through the top 302 and see the contents located in the truck bed22. For instance, the transparent section 331 in the front panel 310 maybe aligned with a rear window on the cab 34 to allow people inside ofthe cab 34 to look into the truck bed 22. Furthermore, the combinationof the transparent sections 331, 333 in the front panel 310 and the rearpanel 312 may provide a clear view path for the driver when the driverlooks at the rear view mirror to see activity or objects behind thetruck 24.

The panels 306, 308, 310, 312 and the upper panel 304 may be fabricatedfrom a bendable material so that the top 302 can be transitioned to thefolded position. It is also contemplated that the upper panel 304 may befabricated from a generally more rigid material than that of the panels306, 308, 310, 312. Nevertheless, the upper panel 304 may be configuredto slope downward from the central area of the upper panel 304 which isslightly higher than the other areas of the upper panel 304.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 33, access to the truck bed 22through the truck bed cover 300 may be facilitated through thetransparent section 333, which may be at least partially separable fromthe side panels 306, 308 or the non-transparent section 341 to allow thetransparent section to be rolled-up or folded relative to thenon-transparent section 341. The rolled-up portion, i.e., thetransparent section 333 may be rolled up so that it is in the upposition and the user can access the truck bed. The rolled up portionmay be securable to the upper panel 304. When in the rolled-upconfiguration, the rear panel 312 defines an opening 328, through whicha user may access the truck bed 22 without having to lower the tailgate.The transparent section 333 of the rear panel 312 may be detachablysecurable to the non-transparent section 341 via snaps, magnets, hooksand loops fasteners, or other fasteners known in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 34, the top 302 may be structured to allow for theupper panel 304 to be disconnected from the front panel 310, rear panel312, and a side panel 306 and folded to the side. Disconnection of theupper panel 304 may preferably still allow the top 302 to remain engagedwith the frame 10 while at the same time, removing the upper panel 304to accommodate larger items, such as a motorcycle in the truck bed. Assuch, the user may not be required to remove the entire top 302 from theframe 10 to accommodate taller items; rather, the upper panel 304 may besimply transitioned from an extended position to a folded or removedposition. It is also contemplated that the upper panel 304 may becompletely removed from the panels 306, 308, 310, 312.

The upper panel 304 may include a front edge 330, a first side edge 332,and a rear edge 336. The front edge 330 may be detachably connectable tothe front panel 310, the first side edge 332 may be detachablyconnectable to side panel 306, and the rear edge 336 may be detachablyconnectable to the rear panel 312. When the upper panel 304 is in anextended position, the front edge 330 is connected to the front panel310, the first side edge 332 is connected to the side panel 306, and therear edge 336 is connected to the rear panel 312, with the upper panel304 forming a roof over the truck bed enclosure. Therefore, a user mayplace small items in the truck bed enclosure, and keep such items secureand isolated from the outside environment. When the upper panel 304 isin a folded configuration, the front edge 330 is disconnected from thefront panel 310, the first side edge 332 is disconnected from the sidepanel 306, and the rear edge 336 is disconnected from the rear panel312. When the upper panel 304 is in the folded configuration, loops,straps or other fasteners (not shown) may be used to maintain the upperpanel 304 in the folded configuration. Placing the upper panel 304 inthe folded configuration allows a user to store larger, taller items inthe truck bed 22. The crossmembers 54, 55, 56 of the frame 10 may bedetached from the extension members 62, 64 to accommodate such largeritems. For instance, the upper panel 304 may be placed in the foldedconfiguration to allow for storage of a motorcycle in the truck bed 22.The detachability and foldability of the upper panel 304 relative to theremaining panels 306, 308, 310, 312 allows the top 302 to remainattached to the frame 10 when larger items are placed in the truck bed22. Thus, rather than having to remove the top 302 in its entirety toaccommodate larger items, the upper panel 304 can simply be folded toaccommodate the larger items.

The detachable connection between the upper panel 304 and the side,front, and rear panels 306, 310, 312 may be facilitated through a zipperor other fasteners which preferably are capable of creating a fluidtight interconnection between the upper panel 304 and the side, front,and rear panels 306, 310, 312. However, it is understood that fastenerswhich do not create a fluid tight interconnection may also be usedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 35, there is depicted a weather strip 400 forcreating a weather-resistant barrier between the truck cab 34 and atruck bed cover 500 (see FIG. 41). The weather strip 400 may occupy agap between the truck cab 34 and the truck bed cover 500 to preventmoisture from rain, sleet, snow, or other sources (e.g., sprinklers orpuddle splashes) from flowing into the truck bed enclosure. The weatherstrip 400 may be configured to provide the weather-resistantfunctionality without obscuring the driver's line-of-sight through therear window 37 located in the rear wall 35 of the cab 34.

FIG. 35 shows the weather strip 400 removed from the cab 34 for purposesof clarity, while FIG. 36 shows the weather strip 400 attached to thecab 34, with an external frame 504 of truck bed cover 500 being shown inan exploded configuration, also for purposes of clarity. The weatherstrip 400 may be expandable to occupy the gap between the cab 34 and thetruck bed cover 500. In this regard, the weather strip 400 may becompressible and resilient, to allow the weather strip 400 to becompressed between the cab 34 and the truck bed cover 500 duringinstallation, and then once installed, the weather strip 400 may apply aforce to the cab 34 and a portion of the truck bed cover 500 to createthe weather-resistant seal therebetween. The weather strip 400 may beinflatable, or have natural resiliency to allow for suchcompressibility. The weather strip 400 may be a tube or gasket, and maybe formed from rubber or other weather resistant, resilient materialsknown in the art. Attachment of the weather strip 400 to the cab 34 maybe via glue or other adhesives or by simple pressure and friction. Theweather strip 400 may also be attached to the cab 34 via mechanicalfasteners, such as rivets, nails, or screws.

The weather strip 400 may include an upper segment 402, a pair of sidesegments 404, 406, and an optional lower segment 408, which collectivelycircumnavigate an enclosed area 410 (i.e., space or volume interior tothe weather strip 400). When the weather strip 400 is attached to thecab 34 as shown in FIG. 36, the enclosed area 410 of the weather strip400 may overlap with the window 37 so as not to block the window 37. Theconfiguration of the weather strip 400 may correspond to the size andcontour of the truck cab 34. In this regard, one side segment 404 mayextend adjacent a first side 39 (see FIG. 36) of the truck cab 34,another side segment 406 may extend adjacent a second side 41 of thetruck cab 34, while another portion of the weather strip 400 may extendadjacent the roof 43 of the truck cab 34. The lower segment 408 may beoptional, and may provide protection from water which may splash up fromthe road. Thus, certain implementations of the weather strip 400 may beformed without a lower segment 408.

When the weather strip 400 is installed on a truck 24, the weather strip400 may create a water tight seal or at least rain resistant seal withthe truck cab 34 and the truck bed cover 500 to redirect water away fromthe truck bed enclosure. For instance, if rain is falling on the truck24, the rain drops may fall onto the upper segment 402, and may flowdown along one of the side segments 404, 406, and then continue downtoward the ground. Furthermore, if the truck 24 is wet and moving alonga road, water droplets on the truck 24 may flow along the length of thetruck 24. As the water droplets approach the end of the truck cab 34,the water droplets may flow across the weather strip 400, and then ontothe truck bed cover 500, and thus, the weather strip 400 may prevent thewater droplets from entering the truck bed enclosure. For example, anupper surface of the upper segment 402 may be at the same height as theupper surface of the truck bed cover. Therefore, items stored within thetruck bed enclosure may remain dry.

The weather strip 400 may be used with a variety of different truck bedcovers. Therefore, while weather strip 400 is shown in combination withtruck bed cover 500 shown in the figures, it is understood that thescope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Referring now to FIGS. 36-42, truck bed cover 500 is shown, with thetruck bed cover 500 having a tapered shape at its rear end to provide asleek, compact, aerodynamic look. The truck bed cover 500 may include atop 502 (see FIG. 39) that may be moved from a closed position to anopen position with ease. As such, the truck bed cover 500 may functionsimilar to a hatchback with a selectively accessible trunk.

The truck bed cover 500 may include a frame 504 securable to the truckbed 22. The frame 504 may be configured such that when the top 502 isattachable to the frame 504, the frame 504 remains visible to a personstanding outside of the truck (i.e., externally perceivable). In otherwords, the top 502 may not cover the frame 504 to a person outside ofthe truck viewing the truck bed cover 500. As such, the externallocation of the frame 504 allows the frame 504 to function like anexoskeleton, which may provide the truck bed cover 500 with a strong,robust appearance.

The frame 504 may include a forward driver side post 506 (see FIG. 36),a forward passenger side post 508, a rearward driver side post 510, arearward passenger side post 512, positioned adjacent respective cornersof the truck bed 22. The frame 504 may additionally include a frontcrossmember 514 securable to the forward driver side post 506 and theforward passenger side posts 508. A pair of side members 516 may extendalong the sides of the frame 504.

The configuration of the side members 516 may be such that the sidemembers 516 are angled downwardly toward the rear end of the truck bed22. In this respect, each side member 516 may include a first segment518 and a second segment 520 angled relative to the first segment 518.When the side members 516 are attached to the respective forward andrearward posts 506, 508, 510, 512, the second segments 520 extenddownwardly from the respective first segments 518 to define thehatchback-like shape.

The frame 504 may be attached to the truck bed 22 such that the weatherstrip 400 occupies the gap between the frame 504 and the cab 34. In thisregard, the upper segment 402 may extend between the cab 34 and thefront cross member 514, the side segment 404 may extend between the cab34 and the forward driver post 506, and the side segment 406 may extendbetween the cab 34 and the forward passenger post 508. Furthermore, thelower segment 408 may extend between the cab 34 and the forward wall ofthe truck bed.

After the frame 504 is attached to the truck bed 22, the top 502 and apair of side panels 522 may be secured to the frame 504. Referring nowspecifically to FIG. 38, the pair of side panels 522 may extenddownwardly from the side members 516 toward the truck bed 22. The sidepanels 522 may occupy the space between the side members 516 and the topof the truck bed 22 to partially define the enclosure created by thetruck bed cover 500. The side panels 522 may include a transparent panel523 incorporated therein, which may allow an individual to look into thetruck bed enclosure to view items therein.

The side panels 522 may be coupled to the side members 516 and the truckbed 22 to mitigate water migration into the enclosure. In this regard,the side members 516 may be coupled to the side members 516 and thetruck bed 22 via water-resistant engagement, such as through a zipper.Alternatively, the side panels 522 may be coupled to the truck bed 22 onthe outer sides of the truck bed 22, such that any water runoff from theside panels 522 may fall outside of the truck bed 22. In this regard,the positioning of the lower end of the side panels 522 relative to thetruck bed 22 may be similar to a roof tile, which overlaps an adjacentroof tile to direct water flow away from an interior location.

The existence of the weather strip 400 between the cab 34 and the frame504 may eliminate the need for the top 502 to include a front panel (notshown) to extend between the forward driver post 506 and the forwardpassenger post 508. The absence of a forward panel may leave the window37 unobstructed by the top 502, to provide the driver with a clearview-path through the window 37. However, it is understood that in otherembodiments, the top 502 may include a front panel, particularly when aweather strip 400 is not used. In such cases, the front panel may betransparent, or include a transparent section, so as to allow a user toview through the front panel when looking through the window. The frontpanel may extend from the front cross member 514 to the truck bed, andbetween the forward driver post 506 and the forward passenger post 508in a manner which directs water runoff away from the truck bed.

Referring now to FIGS. 39-42, the top 502 may include an upper panel 524positionable over the truck bed enclosure 526 (see FIG. 42). The upperpanel 524 may be detachably connected to the front cross member 514 tofacilitate removable of the upper panel 524 when a higher clearance maybe needed for storing large items in the truck bed 22. For instance,FIG. 37 shows a motorcycle placed in the truck bed 22, with the upperpanel 524 having been removed to accommodate the motorcycle. The upperpanel 524 may be detachably engageable to the front cross member 514through the use of snaps, buttons, zippers, or a removable pin that mayextend through an aligned pair of pivot housings, wherein one pivothousing may be coupled to the upper panel 524, and the other pivothousing may be coupled to the front cross member 514.

The upper panel 524 shown in FIG. 39 is shown in a folded configuration,as may be the case during installation or removal of the upper panel 524from the front cross member 514. As shown in FIGS. 39 and 40, the upperpanel 524 may include three subpanels 528, 530, 532 separated by hingesto allow for folding of adjacent ones of the subpanels 528, 530, 532relative to each other. As the upper panel 524 is installed on the frame504, the upper panel 524 may assume an unfolded configuration, whereinthe three subpanels 528, 530, 532 do not overlap each other.

FIG. 40 shows the upper panel 524 being placed on top of the firstsegment 518 of side members 516, and FIG. 41 shows the upper panel 524completely installed and in its closed position, with the upper panel524 resting on top of the first and second segments 518, 520 of the sidemembers 516. The upper panel 524 may include several magnets (not shown)coupled thereto to facilitate engagement between the upper panel 524 andthe side members 516. The magnets may be exposed or embedded within theupper panel 524.

The top 502 may include a rear cross member 534 coupled to the upperpanel 524 to define a trunk assembly 536 (see FIG. 39). The rear crossmember 534 may be securable to the rearward driver and passenger posts510, 512 via a latch or other locking mechanism which may allow the rearcross member to remain locked to the rearward driver and passenger posts510, 512, unless unlatched by a user, similar to a vehicle trunk lockingmechanism.

One or more hydraulic pistons 538 (see FIGS. 39, 40, and 42) or otherlift assisting mechanisms 538 may extend between the frame 504 and therear cross member 534 to assist in lifting the trunk assembly 536 fromits closed position toward its open position. The hydraulic pistons 538may apply a force to the rear cross member 534 that at least partiallycounteracts the weight of the trunk assembly 536 to reduce the burden onthe user for lifting the trunk assembly 536. Furthermore, the hydraulicpistons 538 may be configured to maintain the trunk assembly 536 in theopen position so that a user is not required to hold the trunk assembly536 in the open position to access the truck bed enclosure 526. As such,the trunk assembly 536 may remain in the open position independent ofany assistance by the user because of the assistance provided by thehydraulic pistons 538. In fact, the hydraulic pistons 538 may urge thetrunk assembly 536 toward the open position, such that when the userunlatches the rear cross member 534 from the rearward driver andpassenger posts 510, 512, the hydraulic pistons 538 may automaticallyraise the trunk assembly 536 to the open position. Thus, to close thetrunk assembly 536, the user would pull down on the trunk assembly 536to overcome the biasing force applied by the hydraulic pistons 538.

When the trunk assembly 536 is in the closed position, the trunkassembly 536 may engage with the external frame 504 so as to provide aweather resistant barrier (or rainfall resistant seal) over the trunkbed enclosure 526. For example, a gasket may be disposed between theexternal frame and the truck assembly 536. Additionally oralternatively, the upper panel 524 may rest on a top portion of the sidemembers 516, such that water runoff from the upper panel 524 falls awayfrom the truck bed enclosure 526. Furthermore, a flap 540 may be coupledto the rear cross member 534 to cover any gap between the rear crossmember 534 and the tailgate 22 to mitigate water entry into the truckbed enclosure 526.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 41-44, a roof rack 542 may beincluded as part of the truck bed enclosure 500. The roof rack 542 maybe sized to store items therein, such as a spare tire, lifting jack, orstorage of luggage or other items. The roof rack 542 may be moveablealong rails 544 coupled to the external frame 504 to allow an individualto easily load/unload the roof rack 542 from a lower, more accessibleposition, and then move the roof rack 542 over the truck cab 34 when notloading or unloading the roof rack 542, to facilitate access to thetruck bed enclosure 526.

The rails 544 may extend over a respective side of the truck 24. Morespecifically, each rail 544 may extend over a respective side member516, and over at least a portion of the roof of the cab 34. Thus, giventhe angled configuration of the side members 516, each rail 544 may alsobe angled and include a first segment 546 extending over the roof of thecab 34 and the first segment 518 of the respective side member 516, anda second segment 548 extending over the second segment 520 of therespective side member 516. The first segment 546 of each rail 544 maybe mounted to the roof of the cab 34, as well as to the first segment518 of the respective side member. The second segment 548 of each rail544 may be mounted to the second segment of the respective side member516. The coupling the rails 544 to the cab 34 and the side members 516may be by brackets, clamps or other mounting hardware.

The roof rack 542 may be moveable along the rails 544 between anover-the-roof position, as shown in FIGS. 41-43, and an over-the-bedposition, as shown in FIG. 44. Since the frame 504 may include an angledrear portion that is lower than the roof of the cab 34, the roof rack542 may pivot relative to the rails 544 as the roof rack 542 movesbetween the over-the-roof position and the over-the-bed position.

Referring now to FIG. 41A, the roof rack 542 may be coupled to the rails544 via a pivot mechanism 550 which allows the roof rack 542 to pivotrelative to the rails 544. The pivot mechanism 550 may include a firstmember 552 that interfaces with the rail 544, and a second member 554which is coupled to the roof rack 542, and a bearing 556 between thefirst and second members 552, 554 to allow for pivotal movement of thefirst and second members 552, 554 relative to each other. The firstmember 552 may be shaped to be complimentary to the rail 544 to allowfor sliding motion of the first member 552 along the rail 544. As shownin FIG. 41A, the rail 544 may include a protrusion 558 that is receivedwithin a corresponding cavity 560 formed on the first member 552. Thesizing and interface between the first member 552 and the rail 544 mayallow the first member 552 to travel across the intersection between thefirst and second segments 546, 548 of the rail 544. Furthermore, thebearing 556 may be moveable in a direction represented by arrows 562, toaccommodate the pitching movement of the roof rack 542 as it moves alongthe rails 544. The roof rack 542 may be coupled to the rails 544 via atleast one pivot mechanism 550 on each rail 544, although it isunderstood that more than one pivot mechanism 550 (e.g., two, three, ormore) may be coupled to each rail 544 for supporting the roof rack 542thereon.

When the roof rack 542 is in the over-the-roof position, the trunkassembly 536 may not be impeded by the roof rack 542 to allow the trunkassembly 536 to be raised and lowered as needed by the user. FIG. 42 isan example of the roof rack 542 in the over-the-roof position, and thetrunk assembly 536 in a raised position, with the trunk assembly 536supported in the raised position by the hydraulic pistons 538.

When the roof rack 542 is in the over-the-bed position, the roof rack542 is in a lowered position to make it easier to load and unload itemsfrom the roof rack 542. FIG. 44 shows the roof rack 542 in theover-the-bed position, with a portion of the roof rack 542 extendingrearwardly beyond the rear cross member 534. The degree by which theroof rack 542 overhangs the rear cross member 534 may vary, with someembodiments allowing for a majority of the roof rack 542 to overhang therear cross member 534, while other embodiments, may allow for a minorityof the roof rack 542 to overhang the rear cross member 534, and stillother embodiments, wherein the roof rack 542 does not overhang the rearcross member 534. A stop member 564 may be coupled to one or both of therails 544 to engage with the roof rack 542 or the pivot mechanism 550 tolimit movement of the roof rack 542 beyond the over-the-bed position andto support the weight of the roof rack 542 so a user is not required tohold the roof rack 542 in the over-the-bed position. It is contemplatedthat the stop member 564 may be removed from the rails 544 so as toallow for removal of the roof rack 542 from the truck 24, when desired.

Referring now to FIG. 45, roof rack 542 a is shown in the form of amounting carriage, with the roof rack 542 a including mounting beams 543extending between rails 544. The roof rack 542 a may be transitionalalong the rails 544 in the direction of arrows 545 between theover-the-bed position and the over-the-roof position. In this regard,the roof rack 542 a may interface with the rails 544 in the same manneras the roof rack 542, with the roof rack 542 a both translating andpivoting relative to the rails 544 as the roof rack 542 a transitionsbetween the over-the-bed position and the over-the-roof position.However, the roof rack 542 a provides a different structure, namelymounting beams 543, which may be used to mount items, such as surfboard547 thereto. In this regard, tie-downs may be used to secure thesurfboard 547 to the mounting beams 543 when the roof rack 542 a is inthe over-the-bed position. Once the surfboard 547 is secured to themounting beams 543, the roof rack 542 a may be transitioned from theover-the-bed position to the over-the-roof position. Therefore, itemsthat are commonly stored on the roof of a vehicle, such a water sportequipment (e.g., kayak, wakeboard, stand up paddle board, surfboard,etc.), snow skis, snowboard, bikes, etc., may be mounted to the mountingcarriage 542 a for transport.

It is contemplated that the mounting beams 543 may be integrallyconnected to each other, and thus, the mounting beams 543 may articulaterelative to the rails 544 as a single unit. Alternatively, each mountingbeam 543 may be pivotally coupled to each rail 544 via a respectivepivot mechanism, which may allow the mounting beams 543 to pivotrelative to the rails 544 independent of one another. In this regard,the forward mounting beam 543 may pivot relative to the rails 544independent of the rearward mounting beam 543, and vice versa.

The roof rack 542, 542 a may be transitional between the over-the-bedposition and the over-the-roof position via manual operation e.g.,pushing/pulling the roof rack 542, 542 a along the rails 544, or througha manually operated system which may include a crank, cable, and pulley.It is also contemplated that the roof rack 542, 542 a may be moved alongthe rails 544 via an automated system, such as a hydraulic controlsystem, or an electric control system.

FIG. 46 is an upper perspective view of the roof rack 542 immovablymounted to the external frame 504 over the truck bed 22. In this regard,the roof rack 542 shown in FIG. 45 is not mounted on rails 544 and isthus, not moveable to an over-the-roof position. Rather, the roof rack542 in FIG. 45 is mounted onto the side member 516 via clamps 566 orother mounting hardware known in the art. The roof rack 542 may bedetachable from the side members 516 to allow for removal of the roofrack 542 when not needed. It is also contemplated that the roof rack 542may be mounted to the rear cross member 534 and/or the front crossmember 514 in addition to, or as an alternative to mounting on the sidemembers 516.

Although the foregoing describes the roof rack 542 as being used forstorage, the term roof rack is used broadly herein to refer to anystructure that may be stored or placed on the roof of a vehicle. In thisregard, the term roof rack may refer to a roof-top tent, a roof-mountedbike rack, camping equipment, storage equipment, etc.

Referring now to FIGS. 47-55, there is depicted yet another embodimentof a truck bed cover 700 adapted to fit over portions of truck 600.Truck 600 has a cab/cabin 620 having a top surface 621 and a rearsurface 622, and a bed 610 having a front right corner 611, front leftcorner 612, rear right corner 613, and a rear left corner 614. Truck bedcover 700 may also be adaptable to allow for variation in the size ofthe enclosure defined by truck bed 600 and/or truck bed cover 700. Here,truck bed cover 700 has a left panel 710 coupled to a left side of bed610 and a right panel 720 coupled to a right side of bed 610.Preferably, left panel 710 is hingedly coupled to bed 610 between frontleft corner 612 and rear left corner 614, while right panel 720 ishingedly coupled to bed 610 between front right corner 613 and rearright corner 613. Any suitable hinged connection could be used, such asmounting a hinge to a top edge of bed 610. In some embodiments, thehinges have a locking mechanism that, when engaged, prevents the panelfrom rotating about the hinge and, when disengaged, allow the panel torotate about the hinge. In preferred embodiments, the hinges comprise aninertial mechanism, such as a spring, that is coupled to the hinge toincrease the friction force of the hinge such that pressure placed onthe panel above a threshold moves the panel and pressure placed on thepanel below the threshold is not enough to move the panel, allowing thepanel to stay in place in a person is not applying pressure to the paneland the panel is subjected to normal driving vibrational forces (e.g.vibrational forces below 130 mph).

As shown in FIGS. 52 and 55, preferably the panels are disposed torotate about at least a 90, 120, 150, or even 180 degree of flexibility.This allows the sides of the panel to rotate inwards and outwards of bed610, effectively increasing the width of the entryway into the cavity ofbed 610 and decreasing the width of the upper cavity entryway into thecavity of bed 610. In FIG. 52, left panel 710 and right panel 720 arerotated outwards to increase the width of the entryway, allowing topcover panels 750 to sit below the widest portion of the panels. Incontrast, in FIG. 53, left panel 710 and right panel 720 are rotated toa substantially vertical position to reduce the width of the entrywayinto the cavity of bed 610 to prevent top cover panel from being movedupwards out of bed 610. Further, in FIG. 55 left panel 710 and rightpanel 720 are rotated inwards over bed 610 to not only reduce the widthof the upper cavity entryway further, but also to apply weight to topcover panels 750 to help further lock it in place.

Top cover panels 750 preferably hingedly couple to cross member 730,allowing a portion of top cover panels 750 to rotate at least 30, 60,90, 120, 150, or even 180 degrees with respect to the hinge. In thedisclosed embodiment, top cover panels 750 have a projection that isconfigured to mate with a recess of cross member 730, although otherhinged connections could be utilized. Both cross member 730 and topcover panels 750 are preferably attached and detached using matchingindent/detent connections such that a user can easily attach and detachthe members easily, for example by using a flexible bracket that holdseither cross member 730 or top cover panels 750. However, any suitablecoupling mechanism could be used, for example hand or Philips screws,nuts and bolts, or even magnetic couplings. By providing embodimentswhere top cover panels 750 and cross member 730 can be easily attachedand detached from their couplings, a user could easily transform topcover 700 between the high-covered embodiment shown in FIG. 50, thelow-covered embodiment shown in FIG. 55, and the uncovered embodimentshown in FIG. 51. In the uncovered embodiment, one or both of crossmember 730 and top cover panels 750 could be placed in the bed of thetruck for storage temporarily.

Referring now to FIGS. 56-62, there is there is depicted yet anotherembodiment of a truck bed cover 800 adapted to fit over portions oftruck 600, having a left panel 810 comprising three coupled parts (frontleft post 811, rear left post 813, and longitudinal member 812) andhaving a right panel 820 comprising another three coupled parts (frontright post 821, rear right post 823, and longitudinal member 822). Theparts of the panels could be coupled together using any suitableattachment means, such as screws, bolts, adhesives, or tension couplers.Panels 810 and 820 are preferably not hingedly coupled to bed 610,ensuring that the panel 810 and 820 do not rotate about an axis whileattached to bed 610. Crossmember 830 and 840 are coupled to left andright panels 810 and 820, respectively, to improve the stability offrame 800.

As shown in FIG. 58, rooftop mount 850 is coupled to left panel 810 andright panel 820, respectively, via a threaded screw 851 that threadsthrough threaded hole 814, although any suitable coupling means could beused. Rooftop mount 850 has a recess 852 and left panel 810 has a recess814 that acts as a slideable rail to allow a rack, such as rack 860 orrack 870, to slide along the recess. These recesses are preferablymolded into the longitudinal members, eliminating the need to attach aseparate sliding rail to the longitudinal member to allow a rack toslide from the front to the rear of the truck bed. The recesses ofrooftop mount 850 and left panel 810 are disposed to feed into oneanother, allowing a rack to slide from one recess to the otherseamlessly. Preferably, a front end of recess 852 and a rear end ofrecess 814 are tapered inward, or are closed, to prevent a rack fromsliding off of the rails. In preferred embodiments, the ends are closedwith a hand-controlled lock, such as a screw-on cap or a hand lever,allowing a user to slide a rack into a rail, and lock the rack withinthe recess of the rail by locking the hand-controlled lock. In addition,the rack preferably further comprises a lock that locks the rack inplace along the rail, for example a hole through both the rail and therack through which a pinion can be inserted, a wheel that locks in placeand cannot spin when a brake is applied, or rubber lockouts such aslockouts 74. While rooftop mount 850 is shown here to be bolted into thetop of truck cab 620, rooftop mount 850 could simply have padsunderneath, such that the only coupling attaching rooftop mount 850 totruck 600 is the coupling between rooftop mount 850 and the left andright panels 810 and 820.

Both racks 860 and 870 are configured to slide along the slideable railof truck bed cover 800 to allow for easy loading and unloading of theracks. In FIG. 60, rack 860 slides towards the rear of truck bed cover800 to allow a user to load rack load 910, and lock it in place usinglocking mechanisms 865 and 866, shown here euphemistically as hook andloop ties that wrap around cross members 863 and 864 that bridge upperrod 862 with lower rod 861. The ends of upper rod 862 and lower rod 861are wheels that are configured to rotate within the recesses of truckbed cover 800, and lock in place when a brake is applied. Rack 860 couldthen be pushed up to upper mount 850 as shown in FIG. 61. This allowsrack 870 to engage the railing, such that rack load 920 could be loadedand locked in place using locking mechanisms 872 and 873. Preferably,rack 870 could slide towards the rear of truck 600 for loading, and thencould slide forward and be locked in place for when truck 600 is inmovement.

Referring now to FIGS. 63-70 there is there is depicted yet anotherembodiment of a truck bed cover 1000 adapted to fit over portions oftruck 600, having a left panel 1010 and a right panel 1020. Left panel1010 is coupled to right panel 1020 via cross members 1030 and 1040.Cross member 1030 has a recess 1031 which is sized and disposed to allowa mating protrusion 1051 to hingedly couple to recess 1030, allowingrooftop mount 1050 to rotate relative to the hinge located at recess1030. This allows rooftop mount 1050 to rotate between a position abovetruck cab 620 shown in FIG. 65, and a position above truck bed 610 asshown in FIG. 66. The bottom of rooftop mount 1050 has pads 1052 whichact as posts to hold rooftop mount at a height above truck bed 610. Inpreferred embodiments, posts 1052 could comprise a synthetic polymer orrubber that is configured to have a high friction coefficient withmetallic objects without scratching the surface. Here, the hingedconnection between rooftop mount 1050 and cross member 1030 allows themount to rotate over 180 degrees, although other angles could be used,such as over 90 degrees, over 120 degrees, over 150 degrees, or over 210degrees. In some embodiments, a locking mechanism could be employed tolock the rooftop mount between the two positions. For example, a pin andhole, similar to screw 851 and hole 814 of fame 800, could be used tolock the rooftop mount in its position over cab 620, and a hook and looptie could be used to lock the rooftop mount in its position over bed610.

Similar to frame 800, frame 1000 preferably also has a railing, such asthe embedded railing of frame 800 or the coupled rails 76, to allowracks 1050 and 1060 to slide along the rails for ease of loading andunloading of rack loads, such as rack loads 931, 932, and 940 held inplace by locking mechanisms 1051, 1052, and 1053.

Referring now to FIGS. 71-76, a rack 1001 (see FIG. 71) for helping auser to lift the load 1102 (see FIG. 74) above the vehicle 1104 (seeFIG. 70) is shown. The rack 1001 may have first and second stationaryrails 1106, 1108 (see FIG. 71) that extend longitudinally across the topof the vehicle 1104. Additionally, the rack 1001 may have first andsecond rotating rails 1110, 1112 that are pivotable between a stowedposition (see FIG. 71 and a deployed position (see FIG. 73). When theload 1102 (see FIG. 74) needs to be raised above the top of the vehicle1104, the user may transition the first and second rotating rails 1110,1112 to the deployed position as shown in FIG. 73 then after putting theload 1102 in the basket 1118 (see FIG. 74) on the rotating rails 1110,1112, the load 1102 may be pushed up the rotating rails 1110, 1112 andonto the stationary rails 1106, 1108 as shown by the arrows on FIG. 74.After the load(s) 1102 are disposed on top of the stationary rails 1106,1108, the rotating rails 1110, 1112 may be transitioned back to thestowed position as shown in FIG. 76.

The vehicle 1104 shown in FIG. 70-76 is a Jeep. However, the rack 1001may be installed on a sports utility vehicle, truck with an open orclosed bed or a recreational vehicle. The stationary rails 1106, 1108may be attached to a roof 1114 of the vehicle 1104. In particular, thestationary rails 1106, 1108 may be mounted to offset mounts 1116 thatmay be attached to fixed attachment points designed and fabricated intothe roof 1114 by the automobile manufacturer. It is also contemplatedthat the stationary rails 1106, 1108 may be attached to offset mounts1116 that are sized and configured to be attached to raised side rails,flush side rails, gutters, tracks and factory or aftermarket crossbars.For mounting the rack 1001 to an open or closed bed, the rack 1001 maybe attached to a frame as discussed herein. Moreover, the stationaryrails 1106, 1108 are shown as being straight but they may also be angledthat shown in FIG. 72.

The stationary rails 1106, 1108 are shown as being tubular but they mayhave any cross sectional configuration that permits a basket 1118 to beslid along the length of the rails 1106, 1108 but also to provide asmooth transition for the basket to be traversed over the joints whereinthe rotating rails 1110, 1112 transitions to the stationary rails 1106,1108, and vice versa. By way of example and not limitation, the rails1106, 1108, 1110, 1112 may have a circular cross-sectionalconfiguration, as shown in FIGS. 73A and 73B. The basket 1118 may have aplurality of rollers 1120 (see FIG. 73) that allow the basket 1118 toslide up the rotating rails 1110, 1112 and onto the stationary rails1106, 1108 and slide down from the stationary rails 1106, 1108 to therotating rails 1110, 1112. The rails 1106, 1108 may be parallel to eachother so that the rollers stay on the rails 1106, 1108 as the basket1118 is traversed along the length of the rails 1106, 1108. Otherconfigurations of the rails 1106, 1108, 1110, 1112 are alsocontemplated. By way of example and not limitation, the rails 1106,1110, 1108, 1112 may have grooves. The basket 1118 may have protrusionswhich are received into the grooves of the rails 1106-1112 and can slidetherein to allow the basket 1118 to be traversed between the rotatingrails 1110, 1112 and the stationary rails 1106, 1108. The protrusionscan be supported in the grooves via linear bearings.

Referring now to FIG. 72, the rotating rails 1110, 1112 may respectivelypivot about joints 1122, 1124 which permit the rotating rails 1110, 1112to rotate with respect to the stationary rails 1106, 1108. The rails mayhave the same cross-sectional configuration as that of the rails 1106,1108 so that the basket 1118 can be traversed between the stationary androtating rails 1106-1112. Moreover, the rails 1110, 1112 may be straightand also parallel to each other. Although, the rails 1110, 1112 aredepicted as being straight, they may also be angled or curved. Therotating rails 1110, 1112 may be rotated from the stowed position shownin FIG. 71 to the deployed position shown in FIG. 74, and vice versa.The rails 1110, 1112 may be angularly traversed about 180 degrees but ispreferably displaced by about 45 to 60 degrees between the stowed anddeployed positions. In the stowed position, the rotating rails 1110,1112 are locked in the stowed position. By way of example and notlimitation, to keep the rotating rails 1110, 1112 in the stowedposition, the joints 1122, 1124 may have a rotational lock whichprevents the rails 1110, 1112 from lifting upward when it is in thestowed position. Also, the joints 1134, 1136 may have a rotational lockso that a hitch mount support system 1126 do not rotate when the rack isin the stowed position.

To traverse the rotating rails 1110, 1112 to the deployed position, thejoints 1134, 1136 are unlocked. Also, the user releases the lock in thejoints 1122, 1124 then lifts up the rails 1110, 1112. Additionally, thehitch mount support 1126 (see FIG. 62) is rotated in the oppositedirection. The hitch mount support system 1126 may have rotating supportposts 1128, 1130. These rotating support posts 1128, 1130 are pivotablewith respect to the rotating rails 1110, 1112 at pivot joints 1134,1136. The rotating support posts 1128, 1130 may also be attached to a Ushaped bracket 1138 (see FIG. 73) which is sized and configured toreceive or allow the bottom portion of the basket 1118 to be slid ontothe rotating rails 1110, 1112 when the rack 1001 is in the deployedposition as shown in FIG. 73. As shown in FIG. 73, the basket 1118overhangs the bottom side of the rotating rails 1110, 1112. The U shapedbracket allows the basket to be level with the rails 1110, 1112 and bemounted to the or placed on top of the rails 1110, 1112 without havingto lift the basket 1118 over the U shaped bracket 1138.

The hitch mount support system 1126 may also have a first extension arm1140 and the second extension arm 1142, as shown in FIG. 72. The firstand second extension arms 1140, 1142 pivot about each other about joint1144. Likewise, the first extension arm 1140 pivots about the U shapedbracket 1138 about joint 1146. Similarly, the bracket 1138 pivots aboutthe support post 1128, 1130 about joints 1148, 1150. These joints 1144,1148, 1150 may have a rotational lock. The end of the second extension1142 may have a hitch mount protrusion 1152. The hitch mount protrusioncan be engaged to the hitch of the vehicle. To traverse the rack 1001 tothe deployed position, the rotating rails 1110, 1112 are pivoted upward.The hitch mount support system 1126 is pivoted downward and the hitchmounted protrusion 1152 is secured to a hitch receiver 1154 (see FIG.73). The hitch receiver 1154 is attached to a frame of the vehicle 1104.One or more baskets 1118 may be loaded onto the rotating rails 1110,1112 as shown in FIG. 74. The basket 1118 and the load 1102 may then bepushed upward and onto the stationary rails 1106, 1108, as shown in FIG.74. After the baskets 1118 and the load 1102 are raised and supported onthe stationary rails 1106, 1108, as shown in FIG. 76, the rack 1001 istraversed back to the stowed position.

Referring now to FIG. 77A-83A, a rack 1200 a (see FIG. 79A) is shown. InFIG. 77B-83B, a rack 1200 b is shown. The racks 1200 a and 1200 boperate substantially similar to each other except that sliding rails1202 a, 1204 a are disposed on a medial side of stationary rails 1206 a,1208 a in FIGS. 77A-83A compared to the sliding rails 1202 b, 1204 b inFIGS. 77B-83B which are telescoping within the stationary rails 1206 b,1208 b. Although the sliding rails 1202 a, 1204 a are slidably disposedon the medial (inside) sides of the stationary rails 1206 a, 1208 a, thesliding rails 1202 a, 1204 a may also be placed on the lateral (oroutside) sides of the stationary rails 1206 a, 1208 a. Moreover, for therack 1200 a, the rails 1202 a, 1204 a is offset from the stationaryrails 1206 a, 1208 a. As such, the basket 1210 a may have two sets ofrollers on each side of the basket 1210 a. A first set may engage androll upon the sliding rails 1202 a, 1204 a, shown in FIG. 81A. A secondset may engage and roll upon the stationary rails 1206, 1208 a after thebasket 1210 a is pushed up on the sliding rails 1202 a, 1204 a and ontothe stationary rails 1206 a, 1208 a. For the rack 1200 b, the rails 1202b and 1204 b are aligned to stationary rails 1206 b, 1208 b. The basket1210 b may have one set of rollers on each side of the basket 1210 bthat engages and slides upon both the sliding rails 1202 b, 1204 b andthe stationary rails 1206 b, 1208 b.

The stationary rails 1206 a, 1208 a, 1206 b, 1208 b may be mounted to aroof 1212 of a vehicle (e.g. sports utility vehicle, truck having a cabheight cap or a truck having a lower or higher than a cab height cap, ora truck bed without a cap). In the event that the rack 1200 a, b ismounted to a truck with a truck bed, the stationary rails 1206 a, 1208a, 1206 b, 1208 b may be mounted to a frame (for example, see FIG. 69)as discussed herein. The stationary rails 1206 a, 1208 a, 1206 b, 1208 bmay be attached to the roof 114 of the vehicle 104 with offset mounts1214 a, b. The stationary rails 1206 a, b, 1208 a, b may be parallelwith respect to each other and be sized and configured to receive afirst set of rollers of the basket 1210 a, b.

The sliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a, b may slide between a stowedposition (FIG. 77A, B) and extended position (FIG. 78A, B). The slidingrails 1206 a, b, 1208 a, b may be slidedly mounted to the stationaryrails 1206 a, b, 1208 a. After the sliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a aretraversed to the extended position shown in FIG. 78A, B the slidingrails 1202 a, b, 1204 a may be pivoted downward as shown in FIG. 79A, B.The sliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a, b may pivot about joints 1216 a, b,1218 a, b formed with the stationary rails 1206 a, b, 1208 a, b. Thesliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a, b which have been rotated downward mayhave its end portions 1220 a, b, 1222 a, b supported by support rails1224 a, b, 1226 a, b. The support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may beretractably mounted to a lower half of the vehicle. In particular, therails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may be attached to a frame of the vehicle ora rear bumper 1228 a, b (see FIG. 79A, B).

In FIG. 79A, B, the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may extend outrearwardly in a generally horizontal direction with the ground thenrotate upward as shown in FIGS. 79A, b and 80A, B until distal endportions 1230 a, b, 1232 a, b of the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, bcan be attached to the distal end portions 1220 a, b, 1222 a, b of thesliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a, b. The support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a,b may be attached and locked to the sliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a, b.The support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may also be telescoping so thatthe distal end portions 1230 a, b, 1232 a, b of the support rails 1224a, b, 1226 a, b may reach the distal end portions 1220 a, b, 1222 a, bof the sliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a, b.

Additionally, since the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b aretelescoping, a length 1236 a, b (see FIG. 81A, B) may be adjusted tohelp the user load the basket. If the basket 1210 a, b needs to be lower(e.g., so that the user can load the load in the basket), the length1236 a, b of the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may be shortened tolower the basket 1210 a, b. If the basket 1210 a, b needs to be higher(e.g., so that the user can load the load in the basket), the length1236 a, b of the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may be increased toraise the basket 1210 a, b. After the basket is loaded with the load, asshown in FIGS. 81A, B, the support rails may be extended to raise thebasket 1210 a, b upward until the sliding rails are level with thestationary rails, as shown in FIGS. 82A, B . The support rails 1224 a,b, 1226 a, b may be telescoped outward by extending a telescoping member1238 a, b out of a base member 1240 a, b. The telescoping members orsupport rails may be locked at any length to prevent the load and basketfrom falling and hurting the user.

By way of example and non-limitation, to lift and lower the basket, thesupport rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may be a motorized telescoping pole.The battery of the vehicle may be used to power the motorizedtelescoping pole. Alternatively or additionally, the basket 1210 a, bmay be raised or lowered between positions shown in FIGS. 81A, B and82A, B via a motor with a switch in the passenger compartment of thevehicle, via a phone app connected to the rack 1200 a, b or a selectorswitch on the rack 1200 a, b or on the vehicle body near the rear of thevehicle. The basket may be raised and lowered via an electrical motor orhydraulically. Moreover, the sliding / rotating rails can be locked inplace as a safety measure to prevent the load from falling on theperson.

In FIG. 79A, B, the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b are shown asbeing extended out horizontally as depicted by arrows 1250 a, b and 1252a, b. However, it is also contemplated that the support rails 1224 a, b,1226 a, b may be deployed to the position shown in FIG. 79A, B byrotating the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b outward as shown byarrows 1242 a, b, 1244 a, b. In this regard, the support rails 1224 a,b, 1226 a, b may be stored under the bumper. The pivot point 1246 a, b,1248 a, b may clear the left or right extremes of the bumper 1228 a, bto allow the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b to be pivoted upward asshown in FIGS. 81A, B, 82A, B.

FIG. 81A, B shows the rack, namely, the sliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a,b and the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b in the loading position.From the loading position, the support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may beextended via a motor or other means of extension (e.g. magnets, rack andpinion, screw drive, etc.) to lift the basket 1210 a, b and the loadupward to the staging position shown in FIG. 82A, B. The basket is nowhorizontal and can be pushed forward as indicated by arrow 1248 a, b andshown in FIG. 83A, B. The basket may be locked in place. After that, thesupport rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may be lowered. The distal endportions 1220 a, b, 1230 a, b and 1222 a, b, 1232 a, b may be disengagedfrom each other. The support rails 1224 a, b, 1226 a, b may be stowed orretracted under the vehicle or under the bumper and locked in place. Thesliding rails 1202 a, b, 1204 a, b may be raised back upward and slidover the roof 1212 a, b of the vehicle 1104 a, b.

The racks 1001, 1200 a, b may allow the load to be balanced over thefour wheels of the vehicle instead of weighted on the rear hitch of thevehicle.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.For example, while the longitudinal members above truck bed 610 areshown as slanted and non-parallel to the top edge of truck bed 610,longitudinal members having any suitable angled slant relative to thetop edge of truck bed 610 could be used. Given the above disclosure, oneskilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope andspirit of the invention disclosed herein. Further, the various featuresof the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varyingcombinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to thespecific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims isnot to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle storage system attached to a vehicle,the vehicle storage system comprising: left top rail attached to a topof a vehicle; right top rail attached to the top of the vehicle; leftramp rail pivotally attached to the left top rail; right ramp railpivotally attached to the right top rail; a storage container slidablealong the left and right top and ramp rails; a hitch connector pivotallyattached to the left and right ramp rails, the left and right ramp railsand the hitch connector having a storage position and a deployedposition; wherein the left and right ramp rails transition towards ahorizontal position as the hitch connector transitions from the storageposition to the deployed position so that the storage container can bemoved from the top of the vehicle to a side of the vehicle.
 2. Thevehicle storage system of claim 1 wherein the left and right ramp railsare between 30 and 60 degrees from the left and right top rails when thehitch is in the deployed position.
 3. The vehicle storage system ofclaim 1 wherein the storage container has wheels which ride on the leftand right top and ramp rails for sliding the storage container betweenthe top and side of the vehicle.
 4. The vehicle storage system of claim1 wherein at least one of the wheels attached to the storage containeris lockable with a lock so that the storage container remains inposition on the left and right top rails and the left and right ramprails when the lock is locked.
 5. The vehicle storage system of claim 1wherein the storage container has two front wheels and two rear wheelsthat maintain contact with the top rails and the ramp rails when thestorage container is moved between the top and side of the vehicle onthe rails.
 6. The vehicle storage system of claim 1 wherein the storagecontainer has a passive braking system wherein the brake force isapplied when the storage container is being slid on the ramp rails. 7.The vehicle storage system of claim 1 wherein the storage container hasan active braking system wherein the user can apply a brake force toslow down or prevent movement of the storage container when the storagecontainer is on the top rails or the ramp rails.
 8. A method of loweringa storage container from a top of a vehicle to a side of the vehicle,the method comprising the steps of: rotating left and right ramp railsupward in a first direction; rotating a hitch connector downward in asecond direction which is opposite the first direction; attaching thehitch connector to a hitch of the vehicle to lock an angular position ofthe left and right ramp rails; sliding the storage container on the leftand right top rails down to the left and right ramp rails to move thestorage container from the top of the vehicle to the side of thevehicle.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the attaching step furthercomprises the step of setting an angle of the ramp rails to between 30and 60 degrees from the top rails when the hitch connector is attachedto the hitch of the vehicle.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein thesliding step further comprises the step of: applying a brake to controla descent of the storage container from the top of the vehicle to theside of the vehicle.